The Voice You Know

Read

John 10:1-4 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 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.”

Think

Imagine you are at a huge playground, packed with kids running everywhere. It is loud. Everybody is talking at once. Then, from somewhere across all that noise, you hear one voice call your name. You would know that voice anywhere. It belongs to someone who loves you.

How did you pick out that one voice in all the noise? Because you know it. You have heard it a thousand times. At breakfast. At bedtime. When you scraped your knee. You did not have to think hard. You just knew.

That is exactly the picture Jesus paints in this part of the Bible. In his time, a shepherd took care of a big group of sheep called a flock. At night, lots of flocks might be kept in the same pen. So how did a shepherd get his own sheep back in the morning? He just talked. He called out, and his sheep lifted their heads and came, because they knew his voice.

Jesus says he is that shepherd, and we are his sheep. He knows every single one of us by name. Not “hey you.” Your actual name. And he wants us to learn his voice so well that we can pick it out no matter how noisy life gets.

Here is the part that is so good. God is not hiding from you. He is not playing a trick where you have to guess. A good shepherd leads his sheep out where they can see him. God wants to be found. He wants you to know him.

You might be wondering, how do I hear God if I cannot see him standing right there? That is a great question, and it is what we are going to explore all week. Here is one thing to get straight from the very start. When the Bible talks about hearing God, it almost never means a voice you hear out loud with your ears. Instead, God speaks to us in ways we can count on: through the Bible, through the amazing world he made, through good thoughts he brings to our minds, and through people who love him. For today, just hold onto this one thing. God knows your name, and he is calling you like a shepherd calls the sheep he loves.

Apply

Open the Bible – Tonight before bed, read one verse from the Bible with a parent, or remember one Bible truth you already know. That is one of the main ways your Shepherd speaks. As you read, say, “God, I want to know you better.”

Pray

God, thank you that you know my name and you call me like a good shepherd. Help me get to know you through your Bible, your world, and the good thoughts you give me. I want to follow you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.