John 10:14- “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.”
I grew up in an era when children played outside with their friends from the moment they got home from school until they were called for dinner. For most of the kids in our neighborhood, this was about 5:30 p.m.
Although there would sometimes be several parents calling their own brood home at the same time, each of us knew when it was our mother’s or father’s voice calling “dinnertime!” And, when we heard it, we’d bid our friends good-bye and hustle toward home.
In today’s verse, God reminds us that He is our Good Shepherd. When He says that His sheep know His voice, he is referring to those of us who are “His.” This means those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
How do we hear Him? How do we distinguish His voice, from that of others?
Simple: If it is written in His Word, the Bible, then we can be certain it is truly His voice. The Bible also tells us that He will speak to us when we seek the wisdom of Christian friends, pastors and other church leaders. Many Christians tell of instances where they “hear” God’s voice in the form of an “impression” after a time of prayer, meditation, and/or fasting.
Just hearing His voice isn’t quite the intent of this verse, though, is it? What we do when we hear His voice is important, too. If I had heard my mother calling me to dinner, and had not heeded her call, I would have been pretty hungry by bedtime. In the same way, if we do not follow-up on God’s call with some kind of action on our part, we will likely find that we have missed more than a meal. We will have missed a banquet!
Christians, please don’t think that I am saying that you are going to miss the Marriage Supper. No, I am referring to missing out on the daily relationship with God and His blessings for those who respond to Him out of obedience.
If His voice is becoming indistinguishable in the midst of all of the others in the world vying for your attention, I encourage you to set aside time for daily prayer and get back into The Word. Become familiar, again, with the voice of The Good Shepherd.
Keep your ear tuned for His call!
Brenda
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