Of Sheep and Shepherds by Rob Haynes

I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

John 10:14-16

Have you noticed the animals that groups of people use to symbolize themselves? You have probably seen a nation choose to use a lion, a bear, an eagle or something similar as a symbol for the spirit of a nation and its people. They do this sometimes to inspire their own people or to take a certain posture before others. Or maybe you have seen a sports team choose a panther, a jaguar, a shark, or some other fear-inducing animal to inspire their own team and to “intimidate” their opponents.

It is interesting to me that Jesus uses a much different kind of animal as an example when referring to his followers. Time and again, when Jesus talks about people, and any who would follow Him, he compares them to sheep. That’s not a tough animal. In many ways, sheep are not all that bright. A sheep can’t find safe pasture, good water, or a place to rest without help. Without someone to guide them, they are lost and cannot go on. These are one of the animals least likely to survive on their own.

Sheep are defenseless against enemies. They don’t have claws or sharp teeth. They can’t run very fast. They are scared at the smallest noise and a single barking dog can move entire herds. They are susceptible to the smallest, inconsequential “threat” sending them running in fright.

And this is the comparison to us. Time and again.

Jesus’ answer to their needs is not what one might expect. While we may want physical security or financial assurance, He frequently does not offer those first. Rather, what Jesus offers here is something quite simple: His voice. The sheep, He tells us, need to know the Shepherd’s voice in order to find the things they want and need. When the sheep heed his voice, they will find what they are truly searching for.

How to Hear God’s Voice

People frequently tell me that they want to hear from God, that they want to know when He is speaking to them. It seems like anyone would want to hear that. Yet, how do we know God’s voice? There are three rules that apply to anyone who would want to hear someone’s voice that can apply to hearing God’s voice.

Know the Person Who is Talking

You must know the person who is talking. Not long ago my wife and I were enjoying some time in a nearby park. There were many children there enjoying the day with their families. Parents were chatting with friends and family while the children were on the playground. Before long, a child called out for someone to help her. Her mother and father knew right away that they were the ones being called. They knew their child’s voice from all the others. This works both ways: the child also knows the parent’s voice apart from all the others. When the parent calls to the child, she knows who is speaking. This is so because they spend time in a loving relationship with one another. Knowing one another’s voice is easy when this happens. If we want to hear from God, we must spend time in the means of Grace (prayer, study, worship, service, etc.) to know who He is. When we do so it will be easy to know his voice.

Turn Off The Noise

When I was young, we were preparing for a musical concert at our school. While we were in the middle of our choral rehearsal at one end of the auditorium, the technician arrived to tune the piano at the other end of the venue. I could see him straining to hear the various tones to properly tune the instrument to the tuning forks. After working against the noise of our group, he finally turned to the director and asked her to stop the rehearsal. It was impossible for him to do his job when there was so much to distract him. The same applies when we want to hear God’s voice. We may be straining to listen, but are we willing to turn off the noises to hear it better? Are we turning down social media, television, distracting music, movies, etc.? While any one of these things may be good, in and of themselves, there comes a time when we need to turn them down, or off, to hear from God.

When He Speaks, Pay Attention!

In a mountainous region of the United States, a man set off alone for a hike. He told his family that he would return around 4pm that afternoon. When he did not arrive by 8pm, his family called the local search and rescue squad. They looked for him until the early hours of the morning, but to no avail. All the while, they called his mobile phone, which he always took with him when he hiked. Imagine everyone’s relief when the hiker appeared the next morning back at the trailhead, safe and sound. He had spent the night on the mountainside alone and disoriented. When they asked about his phone and the repeated calls they had made to it, he told them that he ignored the calls “because he didn’t recognize the number” calling in.

Is God calling you and you are ignoring His calls? 

The Call of the Sheep

While going along with the mascot of our favorite team, or our home nation, is fun for the moment, we do not gain lasting power or prestige for ourselves by assuming such a posture. Rather, the call of one who would follow Jesus is as a sheep. Then we will be able to hear the shepherd. Jesus knows that we need a shepherd who will give us the guidance we need.