Where would the world be today if no one ever listened to instructions? How many bicycles would actually be usable? How much of the food we now enjoy would be “less than desirable”?
Instructions are very important in everyday life. Not only are physical instructions important, but so are verbal instructions. Many people say they learn better when something is explained to them than they do with a book of instructions. A key part to understanding verbal instructions is listening. If you are only casually listening and not attentively listening for the directions you need, you may miss an important step in your project.
Listening attentively to instructions became extremely important in the life of Noah. Though God’s judgment against the wicked people would be great, He still wanted to save Noah and his family from that wrath because of their righteous behavior. Not only did God want to save Noah and his family, but He also wanted to use them to make the greatest difference in this short history of the earth. God spoke to Noah and instructed him to build an ark, which was a type of boat. God told Noah this ark would be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 3 stories tall. It was almost the size of a football field! God told Noah what to use to build it, what special features it would have and what to put in it. It was in the midst of these instructions that God revealed to Noah why He wanted him to build this ark. God would destroy the earth by a great flood. This flood would wipe out everything on the earth at the time except what would be safe in the ark. After receiving his orders, Noah, by faith, began to build this ark. He knew what to do, and he knew the task ahead of him was huge, but he began to do as God commanded. The Bible does not say God repeated the instructions after this one time. That was it!
Sometimes we get no chance to hear instructions a second time. It is wonderful when our parents, teachers, or employers give us second opportunities to hear what they say, but that does not always happen. We must learn to pay close attention to instructions the first time they are given.
Attentive listening will always serve us well in understanding and carrying out instructions, but it also applies to our relationships with other people and with God. Attentiveness is not a gift that comes naturally to certain people; it is a decision and a discipline of the mind. It is no different from many other disciplines, which have to be developed over a period of time. Spiritual attentiveness begins with developing a walk with God even in the midst of distractions. When we read His Word and seek to understand it, we are developing an attentiveness to Him that God will bless. He is the One whose voice we need to hear most of all. Just as Noah listened attentively to God and carried out His instructions, if we are listening well, we will know all He intends for us to be and do.
MEMORY VERSE
“Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.” Deuteronomy 12:28