Do You Know His Voice?

The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” John:10:2-5

Is there anyone you are able to recognize solely by the sound of their voice? You don’t have to look at them, nor do they have to say their name; you know who they are simply by hearing them talk.

Sheep are able to recognize their shepherd by the sound of his voice. The shepherd has spoken to them frequently, guided them trustworthily, and has developed a personal relationship with each of them, such that each sheep knows their shepherd solely by his voice. And when they hear his voice, they follow Him. The sheep recognize his tone, his words, and his rhythm in such a way that they are not only able to identify him; they are able to tell who is not him as well. The sheep are obedient only to the shepherd, and they do not dare recognize or follow the voice of anyone else. In fact, when they hear the voice of a stranger, they run away from danger toward the safety of the shepherd.

APPLICATION:

When I was a toddler, I would follow my mom shopping (against my will) as she shopped at Ross. On one of these “fun” shopping trips, I wasn’t paying attention and I lost sight of my mom. At 2-foot-10, I couldn’t see over the towering clothes racks. For a second, the worst thoughts raced through my mind. Is a stranger going to kidnap me? Is CPS going to come after me and my family? Would my picture end up being printed on the back of a milk carton as one of the missing children? In a state of panic, I feared that this would be the last time I’d ever see my mom. Just as I was about to break down and cry, I heard the jingle of her keys, distinctly light and melodic like sleigh bells. I heard her Locals rubber slippers and the muted way they made contact with the floor tiles. And I recognized the unique timbre of her voice as she said excuse me to a fellow shopper. Even though I couldn’t see her, I was able to recognize her voice and know that she wasn’t gone; she was simply in the next aisle over.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and we are His sheep. As sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd, do you know the voice of your Father? Do you know how He sounds when He speaks to you? What kind of words He uses? The rhythm with which He speaks? And not only that; do you know the clues that announce His presence? Can you sense the peace that overwhelms the atmosphere? Do you recognize the joy that He brings to each heart? Can you feel the hope that invades even the darkest of situations.

Learn to recognize the Father’s voice by spending time with Him––in His Word, in prayer, in communion and fellowship with other believers. Know His voice so intimately that you can immediately discern which voice is His and which voices are not. And when you hear His voice, follow Him in bold obedience, knowing full well that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.