A Disciple Hears God's Voice
Pause:
Before you start reading this devotional, take a moment to stop what you’re doing, slow down and focus on Jesus.
Pray and ask him to open your eyes to see as you read the scriptures, and to open your ears to hear as you wait on the leading of the Spirit.
Read:
John 10:1-5: “Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.”
Going Deeper:
When I was a kid I used to travel from Puerto Rico to New York City with my family to visit my Tio Carly (my uncle) and his family. These trips were a highlight of my childhood and I have wonderful memories of going to the Statue of Liberty, walking around Times Square, and piling into a van and driving upstate to the Niagara Falls with them.
I remember one year we weren’t specifically visiting New York but were on a layover at JFK airport and we’d have a little window of time to see my uncle and cousins. At this time, my family lived in California and were only able to see my uncle and his family once every few years. This was before cell phones or the internet so while he knew roughly when we’d get in, we could not call or text when we landed to confirm timing or a meeting place.
When the day came, our plane touched down at JFK and from there it was anyone’s guess as to whether we’d find Tio Carly before our next flight. We walked up and down the airport and there was no sign of my uncle or cousins. Our anxiety grew with every minute that passed and it started to feel like we’d come so close but missed out on seeing each other. My heart was pounding as I scanned a sea of people in one of the world’s most crowded airports.
Then, we heard it. Above all the voices and noise we could clearly hear my uncle’s whistle and there was no mistaking it; we all knew it was him. We followed the whistle through the crowd and found my uncle and cousins and embraced through tears. We then made our way out into the snow and found a little frozen pond where I proceeded to immediately fall on the ice and bruise my tailbone. It hurt but the pain didn’t hinder the joy of seeing my family and going out and enjoying a real winter’s evening in the city.
In John 10, Jesus says of His disciples, “My sheep know my voice. They won’t follow the voices of hired hands who only want to exploit my sheep. No, I call them by name and they come to me. I go before them and they follow me out and find abundant life.”
In this world that’s full of loud voices vying for our time, resources, and loyalty, we can be comforted knowing that His voice rises above the noise. He searches for His sheep and He calls us in His unmistakable voice. No matter how loud the talking heads or politicians or any other voices get, they can never silence our Good Shepherd. He intends to lead us somewhere wonderful even though there are painful moments along the way. Through Him, we are fully known and fully accepted in the presence of the Father. In His presence there is fullness of joy and an eternity of joy awaits us.
Therefore, when He calls us in this life we can go wherever He leads us. There are moments when He sends us out into a new adventure. Our Shepherd does not trick or mislead us. He uses His power for us, to protect us, shield us from predators, and lead us through the dark, scary, and lonely places as one of my favorite children’s books puts it. Through it all, He is with us, speaking to us, loving us, guiding us. We can trust Him and come when He calls us and go when He sends us.
What is our Good Shepherd speaking to you about today? Is he nudging you to have a conversation that's hard for you to have? Is he calling you to pray for a person or a place? Is He calling you to rest after a long season of pouring yourself out? Remember, He’s not leading you into ruin even if there’s pain or discomfort on the journey. He leads you out into good pasture. He has good things for you and me.
What might get in the way of you going where He has called you to go? I want to encourage you to talk to Him about it today!
Pray:
Respond to God in prayer by speaking to Him about what stood out to you from this passage this morning.
Listen:
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you this morning?
Apply:
What are you going to do in response to what God is saying to you from the text and by the Spirit?