Items of comic miscommunication quite frequently come across my computer screen. For my comfort, too often the amusing routines involve old people with hearing aids. Alas, many of my friends are old, but I am not! While I may no longer hear well, so much of what others want me to hear nowadays isn’t worth hearing anyway!
While reading Exodus and Leviticus this week, I have been amazed at how well the ancients communicated, sans Power Point, digital enhancements, a written page, or a single Tweet or text. Consider this! God spoke with Moses concerning the design of the Tabernacle and articles of worship. Moses then spoke with craftsmen, and, then a whole team of workers produced what God designed. The end result, God was pleased and demonstrated His satisfaction by appearing in a cloud at the door of the tent! In contrast, when Pat asks me to pick up a loaf of bread, I cannot remember if the loaf was to be sliced or un-sliced, rye or wheat, Italian or French. Even church offices have “paper trails.” But, the God-to-Moses-to-Bezelel-to-Oholiab-to-a team of others communique was accomplished without a glitch!
The next time you trek through the Exodus vicariously sharing the wilderness wanderings experience with the ancient Israelis, notice the layers of details. An assortment of animal skins, a band of rainbow colors, and an array of precious metals made up the materials list. In addition, God verbally explained sizes, shapes of sockets, exterior and interior elevations, weaving patterns, weight of cords, and more. The Lord’s communication passed through several generations of listener-speaker transmission – accurately!
Moses made the project known to the people and the people rallied immediately with offerings. No discordant sound was heard from the masters of mumbling murmur so skilled in the art of complaining about everything under the sun. In this flawed and fickle national arena, the God-to-Moses-to-people communication worked flawlessly.
How can communication like this happen? What can we learn about listening and then executing God-to-man instructions? Is the Lord still making His ways known? Yes! Is the Lord a skilled communicator? Yes! A few steps have helped me in my quest for hearing more precisely.
• Physically, turn off everything else! It is hard to imagine Moses walking toward the mount with ear buds piping in background music to get into an atmosphere of worship! Should the Almighty have to compete with anything human?
• Mentally, remove the clutter. The day’s “To Do List” is a stubborn interrupter. The excited anticipation of an appointment can distract from our encounters with Him. Daydreaming often muffles the distinct sound of the Lord’s voice.
• Spiritually, turn toward God with Word and waiting prayer in anticipation of spirit-to-Spirit exchanges. Have we “heard” from His Word before we speak our own words? Is it really wise to speak before we listen to God? What could we possibly tell Him that He doesn’t already know? Word and Spirit will bring our spirit and His Spirit into agreement.
• Volitionally, be prepared to say, “Yes!” to everything the Lord asks. This action is akin to signing a blank check and allowing the Almighty to fill in all the blanks. We will fail to hear the nuances of His unfolding plan for us if we proscribe an assignment we do not care to accept, nurture an unacceptable attitude, or become content within the restrictive confines of mere human plans.
The Tabernacle plan and construction speak of God’s genius! In a day of mega-communication, we can explore and regain a face-to-face, mind-to-mind, heart-to-heart, spirit-to-Spirit conversation which brings a cloud of glory to our lives.
There is more, but Pat has asked me to get a loaf of bread, or was it milk, or eggs? No, I think it was Diet Coke! Or ...
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