Can you hear me now?
Right before Marla was born I was studying John's Gospel with some friends. We were working through Jesus’ seven “I AM” statements and discussing...
#4: “I am the good shepherd.”
Here are a few things Jesus says:
The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep... the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
(John 10:2-3)
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep."
(John 10:14-15)
"But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.
(John 10:16)
In studying these passages I learned that to this day, in the Middle East, a shepherd can go into a crowded sheep pen and call out his own sheep by name. The sheep will recognize his voice, hear the unique call, and come to him.
Wild, right?!
I’d like to think I can recognize the voices of my parents, my spouse, or my children in a crowded room… but can I recognize the voice of God?
I’m not necessarily talking about God’s audible voice (although that is possible). It could be God speaking through prayer, a dream, a friend, or a nudge from the Holy Spirit.
However God speaks, it can be hard to recognize in our loud, chaotic world. Sometimes I wonder if God is speaking to me more than I realize, but I’m not allowing his voice to stand out above all the noise and distractions.
It got me thinking about how I listen in other areas of my life. For example, if I’m trying to hear a baby crying upstairs, or listen on the phone with background noise, or soak in the lyrics of a song… I might stop what I’m doing and close my eyes to hear more clearly. But how does closing my eyes make my ears work better? Do you ever do this?
We have 5 senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. Our senses send information to the brain to help us understand the world around us.
I wonder, if we want to hear God’s voice more clearly (which is not of this world), maybe we need to shut off, tone down, or be more aware of our other senses*.
Maybe we need to ask ourselves:
Sight… What am I looking at / taking in throughout the day?
Hearing… What sort of things or voices am I listening to?
Taste… Am I turning to food/drink for comfort or to numb myself?
Touch… Have I taken on too much? Do I need to lay something down?
Smell… What sort of aroma** am I giving off? Is it of love?
*We're probably all a little over-stimulated.
**Paul tells us we are the sweet scent of Jesus (2 Cor 2:15).
If you also struggle at times to hear and discern God’s voice… take comfort in the fact that God knows you and knows your voice. He knows it and he listens - even if we struggle to reciprocate.
Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me…”
(I have this painting hanging in our kitchen.)