I ENVY MOSES!

In the last verses of Numbers 7, we find these words:

When Moses went into the Meeting Tent to speak with the LORD, he heard the LORD speaking to him. The voice was coming from between the two gold creatures with wings that were above the lid of the Ark of the Agreement. In this way the LORD spoke with him.

What a blessing! To be able to actually carry on a dialogue with God! Wow! What wouldn’t we give to have such a privilege?

Hearing God’s voice is a finely developed ability that is honed by a long practice of spending time with Him in an intimate way. It is not something that typically comes quickly to new believers. Speaking with unseen others is not normal behavior for most of us! It’s a honed skill that emerges as we explore a deeper and more intimate relationship with God!

I believe there are some factors that will usually be present when we desire to hear His voice [by this I mean receive messages from Him].

The environment where you approach God is important!

Now, if it’s an emergency need that you’re presenting, then any environment is acceptable!

Psalm 18:6 ESV

“In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.”

However, God desires more from us than urgent pleas for help! God wants us to develop intimacy with Him!

A Special Place

It’s a good idea to designate a special place for communicating with God!

I had a fellow student who beat the Pittsburgh traffic by driving in very early and then he spent an hour reading his Bible and talking with God in the confines of his car.

Find a place and time in your home where you will be less likely to be interrupted. It could be a spare bedroom, or a breakfast nook, or in the corner of a basement, or even in your car while parked in the garage. In nice weather it might be a porch swing or picnic table or a walk through a nearby park!

Make this place your sanctuary! It is where you privately commune with God! Even when you find yourself passing this spot at other times of the day, you may reflect on the blessings that have been yours in this sacred spot!

Adequate Time

Ah, here’s the real challenge!

There is a tendency to want to hurry this devotional/prayer time due to the obvious busyness of our lives. Most of us have to work at carving out enough time for it to be impactful. Psalm 46:10 tells us to “Be still; and know that I am God.”

The bottom line here is simple: we have time for the things we really want to do! 

Making time for God is the result of two factors: desire and planning.

First and foremost, we must really LOVE having time for intimacy with God! He has to be real to us! We have to believe down deep in our hearts that time with Him changes us and makes life better! His guidance and peace alone are of inestimable value! Proverbs 18:24 clearly refers to God by reminding us that “…there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.”

Only when we’ve learned this truth in the deepest and most meaningful ways will we prioritize significant time for God!  It doesn’t naturally come with a new birth! For most it has to be cultivated. It’s part of maturing in our faith!

Some Unstructured Time

New believers often use devotional materials or Bible-reading-plans to guide them in their private time with God. This is good and necessary for the novice.

However, these disciplines can become regimented and easy ‘check-off-points’ that fail to really engage us with God!

Essentially, spending time with God involves an exchange! We speak as we pour out our praises, concerns and requests. But this is only part of the divine equation! We must also discipline ourselves to LISTEN! This inevitably involves WAITING. Developing silence and solitude is a challenge for us in the 21^st century where most things are immediately available.

A friend told me of overhearing his two sons talking in the kitchen while warming something in the microwave. One said: “Somebody needs to invent an oven that warms things up more quickly!”  😂

Sitting still to listen to God has its hazards. It may feel awkward.

o   “How will I know when He speaks to me?”

o   “What does His voice sound like?”

o   “I sometimes fall asleep while I’m listening for God!”

On mornings when I am easily distracted, I often type my prayer to God. I am painfully honest! I confess my sins and shortcomings. I tell Him exactly how I feel with no attempt to sugar-coat it! My candidness often evokes a spiritual response. In the process – I hear Him speaking to me – usually words of comfort; but sometimes words of confrontation. When the process is over, I usually delete these letters.

Some Written Record

Journaling is the official word for this practice. It is not a requirement, but it can be a helpful investment. There’s something about the process of writing that integrates what we’ve learned into our memory and locks it in place! It seems to engage our emotions more to write these things down for later reflection.

Be careful not to let this become an obsession! Doing so can drain the joy from the experience. Record high moments, insights into scripture, messages received from God and other impactful responses.

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Spending time with God shouldn’t be a drudgery, nor should it be merely a discipline. We want to grow this time to be a TREASURE!

This is a time for us to get to know God and invite His guidance into the choices of our lives.

Remember, God initiated this type of daily relationship clear back in the very beginning when He came and spent time in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve [Genesis 3:8]. In that environment of perfection, one day God came to walk with them, but He couldn’t find them. He had to call out, “Where are you?”  It turns out that they had sinned!

How many times has God called out: “Hal, where are you?”

“________________ [put your name in the blank], where are you?