Key Verse: “The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:2-5 CSB)
Research seems to indicate that even when a baby is still in the womb, it has the ability to recognize the voice of his or her mother. There is something so close and intimate about the relationship between the mother and her unborn child that makes this possible.
In a similar way, those who are truly connected to Jesus, the ones who are genuinely in an intimate relationship with Him, will have the ability to recognize His voice. When He speaks, they will know that it is Him and that they need to follow Him. They recognize His voice.
To help illustrate this truth, Jesus used the image of the relationship of a shepherd and his sheep, something that would have been common and familiar to His original audience. In the first century, shepherds would typically gather their sheep and put them into a pen at night that was surrounded by a short wall designed to keep predators away and protect the flock from harm. The only way in was through the gate. In the morning, when the shepherd would call out to his sheep by name, “the sheep follow him because they know his voice” (v.4). They wouldn’t follow a stranger but only the voice of the one whom they recognized.
All throughout Scripture the image of sheep and a shepherd is used to describe God’s relationship with His people. “The Lord is my Shepherd” (Psalm 23:1), David wrote. “He made us, and we are his – his people, the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3). “He led his people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness” (Psalm 78:52).
This is a picture of what a true and close relationship will look like. When Jesus speaks as our Shepherd, His sheep hear His voice and follow Him. They recognize the voice of the One calling to them because they are intimately connected to Him in relationship. He leads His people and guides them like a flock.
Is this your experience? Do you know the voice of Jesus when He speaks to you? Can you identify when He is calling to you because you recognize His voice? Are you closely connected enough to Him that you have the opportunity to listen? What is God saying to you right now?
Hearing and recognizing the voice of Jesus speaking to us begins with intentionally taking the time to listen. It requires eliminating the noise of life around us so we can hear whatever God is saying. It also means reading and meditating on all that God has already said to us through the Scripture. Every time we do so, we can be confident that this is God’s voice speaking to us.
Take the time to pause and intentionally listen today. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you recognize the voice of your Shepherd Jesus Christ so that you can follow Him wherever He leads.
Prayer: Jesus, you are my Shepherd and I desire to follow you. Thank you that you call me by name and want to lead me. Teach me to recognize your voice when you are speaking to me. Help me, Holy Spirit, to hear what you are saying, so that I can faithfully follow you. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
