DAD'S VOICE

A dad's voice is usually recognized as soon as it is heard. You know your father's voice when he calls you on the phone, and you could recognize his laugh in a crowd. When his voice yells your name, you drop everything to see what he needs because you don't ignore dad. He leaves you a voicemail saying, "it's dad - call me", and you laugh because, of course it's dad. Then, when he is gone, you play the last phone message over and over because there is something special about the man's voice. A shepherd's voice is to his sheep like our dad's voice is to us. Multiple flocks of sheep can be kept in the same area, but when a shepherd opens the gate and calls, only his sheep come to him. The others will instantly know that it is not their shepherd and will run from him. This is the picture Jesus was painting when He said, "I know my sheep and me sheep know me" (John 10:14).

There are 2 aspects to recognizing a voice. One the person must speak often, and the other person must be listening as well. If you don't have a long history of your dad speaking to you, or if you chose not to listen, then his voice may not be instantly recognizable. If the shepherd doesn't make a habit of talking to the sheep, they will not learn his voice. Jesus is constantly speaking to His children. The only way we would fail to know His voice is if we've made no attempt to listen. Let's be quick to listen when He speaks. We need to be able to distinguish His voice from other voices in the world. Others will try to lead us astray. They will come to the sheepfold, open the gate, and call our names. We need to know when it isn't our Shepherd so we can run the other way. Ask Jesus to make His voice stand out among the many who seek to lead us astray.

Dianna