For the last little while, God has been taking me through an awesome journey of learning about His voice. I’m excited to share my heart on this topic with you over the next couple of weeks!
We’ll start in John 10.
Here, Jesus gives a picture of sheep following their shepherd because they know his voice.
“The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:3b-5 (ESV)
The disciples recognize Jesus is talking in figurative speech, but can’t wrap their heads around what He’s meaning. So Jesus later breaks it down for them- explaining that HE is the Good Shepherd in the story and the sheep are anyone who knows and follows Him.
Remember this parable is about “His own” (verse 4). He’s talking about those who look to Him- those who acknowledge Him in their life- who seek His voice to listen and follow where He leads.
Whenever this passage comes up, it reminds me of a place I used to take Ace when he was younger. It was a walkway surrounding a huge pond that, each morning, was filled with ducks. At this time, Ace was borderline obsessed with cheerios, like most little kiddos. So I always had a baggie stashed somewhere on me whenever we left the house.
I decided it’d be fun one morning to share our beloved snack with these ducks to lure them out of the water and come close enough for Ace to get a good look at them. But, as I slowly walked closer to them, they scattered. So I sprinkled some cheerios on the ground and backed away.
One brave duck slow-motion waddled up and inspected the safety of this stranger’s offering. He ate it and that must have been a duck code for something, because pretty soon, one by one they all joined. We had about 60 ducks crowding around us! Ace was overjoyed! He loved them so much we went back and fed them for a couple days in a row.
By the 4th day, as soon as the stroller’s wheels hit the stone path coming toward the pond, all of a sudden these ducks started waddling out of the water and came right up to us expecting their breakfast!
After seeing us come feed them day after day, they recognized us and had no apprehension coming right up to us when they noticed we had arrived.
It seems like this is how it can be as we’re learning God’s voice in our own lives.
Before we know Him and can recognize when He’s speaking to us, His voice is going to be like the voice of a stranger. There are absolutely times when He reveals Himself to us clear as day, and He can call anyone’s attention to Himself regardless if they know His voice yet or not. But once we’ve heard His calling out to us and start seeking to hear Him regularly in our day-to-day, it takes time to become familiar with His voice. Sheep don’t know their shepherd’s voice the first day they join the flock. Knowing His voice and learning to trust it comes with time hearing Him and experiencing that He is who He says He is in John 10. That He is our Good Shepherd taking care of us, His sheep.
Jesus lovingly compares His followers to being His sheep often in His Word. In Luke 15, He tells the story of a shepherd going after the one sheep that’s lost its way and rejoicing while He brings it back to His flock. I encourage you to take time to read this familiar story this week! And let your heart be filled with the joy of how He pursues us.
If you’re like many Christians struggling to figure out how to hear God’s voice in your life, breathe in this awesome truth:
Even when He’s a stranger to us- we are not strangers to Him.
He created us. He knows every minute detail about us. He knows every fear, every thought in our mind, every hair on our head (which in my current teeter totter phase of postpartum hair loss/hair growth is an impressive feat in itself!). He knows His sheep.
He knows exactly what we need from Him in order for us to trust Him. He may show Himself in our lives in different ways because He calls us by name. He calls us uniquely to Himself.
What God knows your heart needs may be completely different from what He knows I need. And that’s OK! God is fully aware of how your mind thinks and how your heart opens up because He created that within you. He’s the only One who can reveal Himself to each of us. They only One who gives us ears to hear and eyes to see Him.
That’s such beauty in Christ’s love for us. He not only created us and so knows us more intimately than we even know ourselves- but He uses how He’s created us to pursue and show Himself to us!
One of my favorite questions to ask fellow Christians is “How has God shown up for you in your life?”
The answer is always amazing- and it’s always different.
God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We can trust and hold fast to that awesome truth. However, He is also infinitely creative in showing His love to us!
My husband, Matt, graciously gave me permission to share a silly, but very real example of God’s unique pursuit of us.
My husband is not afraid of much, but he does NOT like mice. A few years ago, he was relaxing on the couch with Ace sleeping in his arms in our living room. From the other room I hear the loudest whisper I’ve ever heard. “Chris!” When I came out, he was white as a sheet, wide-eyed pointing over to our just-for-show fireplace.
A mouse had crawled out of one of the vents and joined him and Ace in their once peaceful daddy-son moment!
Upon intensively searching the house, we found out this mouse wasn’t a loner. He was a member of an entire mice gang coming in through our kitchen cabinets scurrying around where we didn’t notice them!
Long story for another time made short, we tried to get rid of them and it wasn’t going well. So Matt asked God to get rid of these mice.
And He did!
God answering his very practical prayer to get rid of the mice invading our home was deeper for him than me. I was thankful I didn’t have to tiptoe to the fridge for my midnight snacks anymore, holding my breath I was alone in the kitchen. But, my husband felt loved to his core. God knew how to show up for him and He did it.
Would you be willing to share how God’s pursued you? How has He shown up in your life?
If you’re reading and thinking you don’t have any stories like that, I’d challenge you to call out on God and ask Him to show Himself to you! Don’t fall into the mindset “I’ll seek God in my life once I know His voice. I just don’t know it right now.” You’ll know His voice by seeking Him and seeing Him show up in your life in very real ways!
Let’s boast about our intimately pursuing, creative Good Shepherd!
From one of His children to another,
Christi