Always the Shepherd

My sheep hear my voice, and
I know them, and they follow me.
And I give eternal life to them,
and they will never perish;
and no one will snatch them
out of My hand.
My Father, who has given them
to Me, is greater than all and
no one is able to snatch them
out of the Father's hand.
John 10:27-29

The human voice is a powerful thing. Parents hang on with great hope, listening for their baby's first word. Will she say “Da-da” first or will he utter “Ma-ma” as his first word. In all probability, most babies will come up with “Da-da” first for two reasons. “Da-da” is easier for a baby to say in beginning stages. The second reason is that most mothers coach a baby to say “Da-da.” The spoken word is how God created human beings to communicate. Voices are heard in hundreds of languages. We often enjoy concerts where beautiful singing is enjoyed. We have been orally taught all the way through our education process. Pastors preach to us and Bible teachers instruct us in the things of God's Word. The voice is indeed a miraculous function of the human body.

When problems arise with one's voice, there is a concern. Most of us have had sore throats resulting in laryngitis. I had a dear friend with a beautiful singing voice who had to take a rest from singing because of nodes on her vocal chords. Voices can be lost to throat cancer. We can be grateful that the voice of our Shepherd is never silenced under any circumstances as He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit.

We become familiar with voices. Any one of my children can call me on the phone. From their first hello, I don't have to wonder which of my children is on the phone. He or she doesn't have to give me their name. I know from years with my children the sound and inflection of each voice. I was often told that, on the phone, my sister Kay and I sounded very much alike. When I visited her home and she asked me at times to answer the phone, her friend on the other end would usually go ahead and begin a conversation until I could notify the friend that I wasn't Kay. Under the usual circumstances, voices we recognize have become familiar through close and ongoing relationships of some kind.

Many years ago, I visited a sheep ranch with some friends. That first morning, looking out a window, the hillside looked solid white as there were hundreds of sheep. We went out and observed the splitting up of the sheep as they were taken out to pasture. There were several individual groups of sheep in the main flock, each with their own shepherd. The shepherd of his flock generally rode in a glorified golf cart with a couple of sheep dogs following. Each shepherd would call to his own flock. Suddenly there would be movement in the huge flock, with sheep separating themselves to follow the departing shepherd. One shepherd began to whistle and after that another began to softly sing a song. Each flock moved right to its shepherd...why? The sheep knew the voice of their shepherd.

Jesus says in the above verse that in our relationship with Him, we hear His voice. That's not going to happen if we aren't in relationship with Him to begin with. There is then instant recognition and with that recognition, we in turn follow Him...no questions asked...followership to the highest degree. If we are anything like real sheep, it means we won't follow any person or theory Satan has to offer. We will respond to and follow only our own personal Shepherd.

The next verse lists the benefits of this relationship with our Shepherd. He promises His sheep eternal life, they will never perish and no one can pluck those sheep out of His hand. Shepherds are very protective. If need be, they will die for the sake of the sheep in His care.
We are sheep that belongs to Jesus' flock. He not only died to provide for us to utmost of protection and care but will do so right into Eternity.

Our Shepherd knows our voice any time we call to Him. It is pitiful though if we fail to recognize His voice when He speaks to our spirits through His Word or just in quiet moments of meditation an prayer. His voice is the only spiritual leadership we hear. There is a world calling out to you and me with it's culture, theories and powerful suggestions. Those voices shouldn't even be recognizable to us. His voice and guidance should be all we heed. Like those sheep on that Colorado hillside who heard a familiar voice bidding them to go to their shepherd, who responded immediately and without hesitation, can we do any less.

We can be grateful that we have the Shepherd we do and that His love is unconditional and ongoing. We also must know that Satan can never remove us from the hand of God...where no one can “snatch us” from His hand and where we find rest.

Thank You Father, for holding me close to Yourself. You have given me eternal life and I'm so grateful for that fact. Help me to stay so close to You that Your voice is immediately recognized in my own spirit. I praise You today for who You are in my life. In Jesus name...Amen