“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” John 10:27
In olden days, shepherds would sometimes pool their flocks together on one common ground to better safeguard them through the night. That way, they could take turns keeping the wolves and other predators away. This could amount to hundreds of sheep grouped together.
But in the morning, each shepherd would call his flock and they would follow him. They knew their shepherd’s voice.
We live in a time where our phones recognize our voices. All we have to say is a certain name or phrase and our hand-held device beams to life with answers and suggestions.
This technology is fascinating, but hasn’t there always been something amazing about voices and the way we respond to them?
Maybe it’s that voice on the phone or on a recording that immediately fills our hearts with peace or joy in recognition of who the voice belongs to. It could have been years since we heard it, but we remember and respond. We know that voice.
Maybe it’s the way our pets run to the sound of our voice when we come home. They know our voices and they are ready to be with us.
Perhaps it’s that person who calls you often and pretty much says the same thing. Even if we take that for granted, there is something so comforting and familiar about the voice. We anticipate it; we know it.
But some days our world gets too noisy. Some days we might miss the voice that centers us, makes us smile, reminds us to follow.
That’s what happens with a shepherd and his sheep. If we realize we are the sheep, there is nothing we want more than to be comforted by the voice of our shepherd. But what if we are thrown together with so many other sheep and the world around us is too loud and we miss his call? We can’t hear him softly calling us, guiding us to him, because we are focused on the noise around us.
Our challenge today and every day is to hear our Good Shepherd’s voice. And once we hear His voice, we need to recognize it and respond.
But perhaps the bigger question is, are we listening?
Watering the Seeds
What area in your life is “loudest,” receiving much of your attention?
What can you do today to better listen for the Shepherd’s call?
