My Sheep Hear My Voice

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. •John 10:27

What an honor it is that our hearts have been made alive and that we have been declared children of God. This is all possible by the Shepherd of our souls – Jesus Christ. He was obedient to the Father as He laid down His life as the sacrificial lamb for the forgiveness of our sins. We were once lost in our sin, separated from God, but by His mercy and grace, God has brought us to Himself. He saved us from eternal separation from Him and gave us new life. As God’s children, or sheep, we are totally dependent on Him to shepherd us, to protect us, and to care for us.

Do you remember when you heard the Lord’s calling in your life to turn to Him? We still delight when we hear God speaking to us. It is a celebratory occasion – one that cannot be explained entirely, yet we hear His voice – either through His word, in worship, or through a friend.

We delight in following our Lord, yet there are times when it becomes a challenge – there is a sudden tragedy in our families, our health is jeopardized, our work schedules are overloaded, etc. Just like sheep we wander, get distracted, and question what is going on. James said that trials will come and we are to seek God’s wisdom if we do not see a clear path in our struggle (James 1:2-5). When we find a trial hard to accept, pray and ask God to give you the wisdom and patience to get through it. Continue to follow the Lord, because He is the Shepherd who directs our paths. He is our God, our Comforter, and our All-in-All. He has not abandoned us. He is right there with us with our struggle. He promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He will work it out all together for our good. We can pray the Lord will work with us to bring honor to Him in our lives.

We desire always to keep our Lord before us as our Shepherd is leading and guiding us. He is worthy of being followed. He is of course the Good Shepherd. The One True God. The great I Am. “Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (I Peter 2:7).

“Okay, Jesus, today You lead, and I will follow.

Whatever I have to do in my relationships, my body,

my health, and my finances are in Your hands.

 I won’t try to figure out the rest of my life.

I won’t try to solve every day. Just today.

You lead. I’ll follow.”

-John Ortberg in The Me I Want To Be

What about you?

When was the last time you heard the Lord's voice? What did He say or ask of you? Have you responded, "Here I am?"