In a recent Bible study on Psalms 23, Jennifer Rothschild pointed out some interesting facts she learned about sheep. She shared a video showing different people trying to call a herd of sheep but the sheep ignore them. However, when their shepherd calls them, they follow his commands. John 10:4 says, “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” Whose voice do you listen to?
There are a lot of voices fighting for our attention. Social media and the nightly news are filled with loud, angry people battling for attention. They each have their own take on a situation and their own agenda. It can feel like we are being tugged in a million different directions. Each side begins to think they are in the right; therefore, everyone else must be in the wrong.
However, the truth usually resides somewhere in the middle. Perspective has a lot to do with how we view situations. There is an illustration of this that I heard at a conference: There are three people standing together at the end of a tunnel. The pessimist only sees darkness. The optimist sees a light at the end of the tunnel. The realist sees an oncoming train. At the other end of the tunnel the train engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks. While the three people may stand and argue forever about the situation, in the end they may miss the point entirely.
God, like the train engineer has a totally different perspective. He sees all of eternity, not just one brief moment. His purpose is to make us more like Christ. He sent Jesus, Our Shepherd, and The Holy Spirit to lead us through life. Sometimes this means leading us beside still waters and to green pastures, and sometimes it is walking with us through the valleys (Psalm 23). The key is sticking to the path and following the shepherd’s voice. The enemy will try to distract us with all manner of arguments and try to lead us down different paths that seem easier or more prestigious, but they are dead ends. The voice of the Shepherd is the only one that can be trusted, the still small voice in the midst of the storm.
We can know His voice because it is always in alignment with God’s Word. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit inside us to help us recognize His voice. John 14:26 says, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” The Holy Spirit will remind us of the scripture so that we can discern what is truth and what is not.
So, when the voices of the world get too loud, spend time in the Word of God and prayer, and the voice of the Shepherd will show you the way to go. Like the songs say, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”