Voice of the Shepherd

I was standing outside the fence at my daughter’s track meet. I noticed her in the middle of the track and called out her name. Her sister was standing next to me and said, “Mom, she’s never going to hear you above all the other voices.” But I knew I was close enough and could call her name in such a way that would distinguish my voice from the others. And sure enough, she popped her head and we made eye contact. It felt good.

So it is with our heavenly Father when we hear His voice above all the other voices around us. His voice must not only be heard above the voices of our present time, but even louder than the voices from our past. Many of us have parents who’ve passed on, yet we can still hear their voices in our head. Some of our parents encouraged us to overcome difficulty while others of us struggle with the negativity that never seems to die.

We may confuse God’s voice with the harshness of authority figures in our lives; however, the Good Shepherd’s voice isn’t rude or cold. Rather, His voice is comforting, encouraging, and beckoning us to trust in Him.

We only have difficulty hearing His voice when we aren’t actively listening. He speaks to us primarily through His word, the Bible. Yet He could also speak through people or circumstances; however, we must always align those with what the Bible teaches us.

Jesus said that we would know His voice and that we would follow Him. When was the last time you really heard and followed the voice of Jesus? Perhaps it’s time to turn off all the other voices in and around you to hear what your Shepherd has to say. Just like my daughter heard her mother’s voice in the midst of a great crowd, so too will you learn to develop the keen hearing of Jesus’ voice as you carefully listen for it.

In His Service,

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