“My sheep listen to my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:27, NIV
This week as we focus on listening to God and answering when He calls, we have an example from the animal kingdom that can teach us a few things.
I like to go different places and take photos that I can use with my blog and devotionals. So one day I visited the farm of a couple from my church who had sheep. We know that Jesus used sheep as an example in his parables and teachings. Let’s find out why.
Alert. When sheep hear a voice, their ears perk up. I walked up to the pen and talked to them, trying to coax them over to the fence, but they just stood and looked at me. Even the lambs didn’t move towards me. I would have thought they’d come right to me like little kids usually do, but they didn’t. When the lady came out to meet me, she explained that they didn’t recognize my voice. So they just stood and watched and listened. When you hear a voice, do you listen up and try to discern whose voice it is if you don’t see anyone?
These sheep were in a pen so they couldn’t run away. When I was little there was a sheep farm behind my grandmother’s house and as soon as I got near the fence, they ran far into the field. They will not come close to or follow a voice that they don’t recognize. Oh that we would be like that! Too often we hear a voice and listen only to find out sometimes too late that it wasn’t who we thought it was.
Familiar. The sheep also use their other senses. I didn’t have the “farm scent” on me. My movements were different than the people they were familiar with. Nor did I have any food or treats for them. The lambs stood still by their mama and just watched me until they had a sense of what was going on. When the lady talked to them, pulled a treat from her pocket, and reached over the fence, they slowly came over to her, still a little hesitant because I was standing next to her. At first when I tried to pet them, they pulled away, but as I kept talking to them and she gave me a treat for them, they came over to me.
Are you familiar with the voice of our Good Shepherd? We need to stay close to Him, learn His ways, His words, and know when it is Him speaking. Sheep easily go astray when they are not paying attention and then find themselves in trouble, needing rescue of the shepherd. That’s probably where we get the saying from: “The grass is always greener on the other side.”
Know. The sheep didn’t know who I was. They’d never seen me nor heard my voice before. But the lady of the farm was someone they had seen, heard, and touched before. They knew she was kind to them, fed them, and let them out to run in the pasture. One article I read on the internet said that sheep are emotional which is why they come to someone they know and flee from strangers. They get stressed out just like us humans.
When we know our Shepherd, we know not just His voice, but what He looks like, and we know His touch. We don’t know exactly what Jesus or God looks like physically, but we can know His characteristics, His personality, and His loving, healing touch.
Trust. The sheep didn’t totally trust me at first and only a couple of them actually came close enough for me to pet them. They trusted the lady, though, and went to her. Do we trust Jesus to lead us in the right paths? Do we trust Him with our problems, our finances, our families, our future? He knows all about us and wants us to trust Him with everything.
Sheep were treated as prized possessions in Biblical times. Unfortunately today we tend to use the adjective dumb to describe sheep. They’re not so dumb, though, because they know their shepherd and trust Him. Can we say the same?
Follow. When the mama sheep finally came to me, then the lambs came right over. They trusted their mama and followed her lead. Are you trusting the Good Shepherd to lead you? Then follow Him…as the chorus goes:
Follow, I will follow thee, my Lord,
Follow ev’ry passing day
My tomorrows are all known to thee,
Thou wilt lead me all the way.
Jesus knows who are His sheep. You may think you know and are following Him, but if He doesn’t know you, that’s a problem. Make sure you belong to the Good Shepherd and are following His lead. More about that in the next post.
PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, I want to be a good listener and a good follower, careful like sheep, and discerning. Please grant me the ears to hear and other senses to recognize Your voice.
- Week 1 – temptation
- Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
- Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
- Week 4 – God’s love for us
- Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
- Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
- Easter – resurrection and salvation