The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. – John 10:3-4 NLT
Think of the person you talk to most. If they were to call you on the phone and you didn’t know it was them, and they didn’t identify themselves but just started talking—you’d still know who it was immediately. Why? Because you know them. You’ve spent hours upon hours talking to them, so even with no other identifying factors, you can easily recognize the sound of their voice.
In John 10, Jesus describes a shepherd and his flock. Sheep follow their shepherd. They rely on him for food, protection, and care. They learn the sound of his voice and come to trust that voice, because it belongs to the one who will provide for their every need.
Jesus then says this: “‘I am the Good Shepherd; I know My own sheep, and they know Me, just as My Father knows Me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice My life for the sheep’” (John 10:14-15 NLT).
As followers of Jesus, we should know the sound of our Shepherd’s voice! But we’ll only know what His voice sounds like if we’re spending regular, quality time with Him.
Through reading the Bible, we learn about God’s character and attributes. Though we will never reach the depths of who God is or know everything there is to know about Him, He has chosen to reveal many things about Himself through His Word. We learn that He is merciful, kind, slow to anger, unchanging, and perfectly righteous. Most importantly, we learn that He loves—He is love. Love is the underlying, motivating reality behind everything God is, says, and does.
Through prayer, we learn how God speaks to, teaches, and corrects each one of us specifically. We’re all made uniquely, with different personalities, interests, and dispositions—and that was on purpose! God may speak to one person through a beautiful sunset and another person through a complex math equation. Part of learning to hear and discern God’s voice is trusting that He knows you—really, intimately knows you—and wants to meet you in the places and things that are closest to your heart.
Knowing the sound of our Father’s voice will help safeguard us against falling victim to counterfeits that speak lies to our hearts and try to pass them off as truth. Just like the sheep with their shepherd, we come to trust His voice and trust that He will provide for us in every possible way.
