Voice of the Good Shepherd

Growing up in a house with five people, I came to know the mannerisms of people I was closest to, my family. As I'm sure many of you can, I could tell who was closing the front door, based on how fast it closed or, the force in which the door was closed. (My mom has always been a firm, loud, and fast door closer.) I could hear a cough in our sanctuary at church, when I wasn't sitting with my family, and know it was my brother.  In college, I could scream across our house as I heard one of my 7 roommates walking in, and call out "Who's that?", and know exactly who it was based on the person's voice responding "Me!"

This morning, I've been preparing to teach on Wednesday nights again. It brings me such great joy to have conversations about scripture, the life of Christ, and call to discipleship with your kids. In preparing to kick off the fall with our Knowing God series, we are going to look at God as the good Shepherd tomorrow. Here's what we will be reading:

John 10:2+

"The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers... I am the good Shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep."

Just as I wrote about knowing my family and friends, and all of their quirks, and knowing their voices without seeing them, we will talk about how to know God in that same way. How do we know the voice of God?  How do we distinguish the voice of the Good Shepherd apart from the voice of strangers, or the voices that are apart from the will of God? How do we know God in such an intimate way, that we know His definitive voice?  This passage says that His sheep follow His voice, as He goes before them. I'm not sure if I would be a very obedient sheep.

It's my frequent and fervent prayer for our kids, and for you as parents and leaders, that we know God in such an intimate way, that He will be the most familiar relationship to us. I pray that His voice would be so familiar, and we would  be able to recognize Him in just one word. I'm praying that the love, grace and joy of Christ would be so recognizable, that our lives would overflow with His mannerisms and character. Isn't that how it is when we spend time with the people closest to us, we begin to say the things they say, and begin to recognize them immediately based on their voice alone?  I'm praying that our children live out their faith with the knowledge of the mercy and sacrifice of Christ, and it would guide them in all of their daily interactions. That they would trust and know the voice of the Good Shepherd, regardless of where it calls for them to follow. What if that was the most familiar relationship we had, the one we had with Jesus?  Often, I'm afraid of what that would mean in my life.  I would love to start a conversation with you, as this is the question I struggle with in my own faith on a pretty much daily basis.

This song is on repeat in my office until our kiddos show up tomorrow night. Praying this song as words of restoration and renewal as we seek to know more of Christ as a ministry. Please pray with us!