By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer

Have you ever re-discovered something you previously saw or heard, catching it with fresh eyes and ears the second time around?

I did that last week. I read a familiar Bible verse that jumped off the page, though I’m quite familiar with these words of Jesus:

My sheep hear My voice,
And I know them,
And they follow Me.
John 10:27

Maybe it was the quietness of my heart that allowed me to see the “power of three” in the passage – a device authors often employ.

This time, each of the three individual concepts connected to the others and formed a triangular shape in my mind. An ongoing relationship that flowed from one point to the next unceasingly.

The first point assured me that I really do hear my Savior’s voice. Sometimes I’ve wondered if a particular leading was “just me” – just my imagination, or influences from other people in my life. But this first point encouraged me that I am equipped to hear His voice and expected to hear His voice – if I’m actively listening.

Active listening involves spending time in His word so I better recognize His voice. 

The second point also encouraged me by reminding me that He knows me. Really knows me, better than I know myself. He notices if I’m “missing in action,” off track, or bogged down somewhere.

The third point connected the first two when it said I follow him. I follow Him because I hear Him leading and I know that He loves me.

As an author, I also noticed the lack of visual cues in this passage. The emphasis is on hearing, and this idea was reinforced by two unrelated things that happened in my life.

First, a recent article I wrote for the blog Heroes, Heroines & History was about the advent of the telegraph and Morse code. When this communication system was in its infancy, a paper tape was employed into which the code was punched. Operators quickly learned that the paper was unnecessary because the system was auditory, not visual. Those trained in receiving and transmitting Morse code didn’t need to see what was being said. They heard it and understood it.

Next, my pastor pointed out in a sermon that God told Moses He was a God who is heard, not seen like the many visual gods of Egypt from where Moses had led the Hebrews. This related to the commandment against making carved images to represent Him.

Often in scripture, God’s spirit has been described as breath or wind – pneuma, the Greek word for breath, and ruwach, the Hebrew word for wind. Both are something we feel or hear. We don’t see them, though we may see what they carry.

When judging whether we have truly heard our Shepherd’s voice, if we are patient, confirmation will come from outside the situation. If no confirmation comes, then perhaps it is not His voice we hear, and we need to wait. God isn’t in a hurry. 

In these quieter days of quarantine, sheltering in place, and social distancing, may we make a concerted effort to hear our Shepherd’s voice, trust that He is leading us, and follow Him.

~

Check out these two modern-day demonstrations of sheep heeding their shepherd’s voice: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e45dVgWgV64

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Coq_grSFlNs

Make a concerted effort to hear your shepherd’s voice. Share on X

Sophie took the pouch, found the short, pointed knife and bottle, and hesitated.

“The acid will purify the blade and reduce the risk of infection.” Clay paused, softened his voice. “Trust me.”

Had he learned this at veterinary school? She’d never heard of such a thing. Pain was not a factor in the procedure, but the precaution was new to her. Steeling herself, she unwrapped the babe, uncapped the bottle, and poured the sweet-smelling liquid over the scalpel.

Trust Me, another voice whispered in her heart.   ~An Impossible Price

Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.

Want a free book? Sign up for my Newsletter!

Facebook | Pinterest

#lovingthecowboy

(c) 2020 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.

 #WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance

Background image from Pixabay