Reflection: Recognising the voice of the Shepherd (Part 1)
How do you learn to recognise anybody’s voice? Think about it for a moment. Think of someone that you know very well — your father or mother, your spouse, your child, your best friend. If you were placed in a crowded room and blind folded, how quickly would you hear their voice amid the crowd? I guarantee even blind folded, with a room full of children, I will be able to differentiate the cry of my daughters.
Let’s suppose someone is leading you through the mingling voices. There are strangers all around you, unfamiliar voices that strike no chord in your heart. But then suddenly a voice rises amid the crowd, a voice that is clear amid the commotion — not because it is loud but because it is familiar. You know that voice. You know its tone, its timbre, its inflection. Why are you able to recognise that voice? Because you have heard it so many times in so many different contexts. That voice is known because it is familiar.
It is no different in your relationship with Jesus. How do you learn to recognise his voice? By becoming familiar with his voice. And how do you become familiar with the voice of Jesus? Only by listening. The simple fact is this: the more you hear his voice, the more you will recognise his voice. By exposing yourself constantly to his voice, you will be able to pick it out, even in the most ‘noisy’ of situations.
In Matthew 11:15, we read a statement that Jesus often made to his hearers: “He who has ears, let him hear.”
Even when he walked upon the earth, Jesus knew that just because he spoke to people did not mean that they automatically heard what he said. His natural voice rang clear, but many hearts did not yet recognise the Master’s voice.
Today, his encouragement to you is exactly the same. “If you have an ear,” he says, “then hear.”
Prayer: Lord, grant me the ability to recognise your voice by becoming intimately familiar with it. Help me to listen attentively and expose myself constantly to your voice, enabling me to discern it even amidst the most chaotic circumstances. I want ears that hear.