Mensa Otabil - Listen to the Lord
- Watch
- Donate
As we start the new year and prepare for all the challenges ahead of us, it’s important for us to listen to the voice of the Lord because God’s voice is what will help us through all the challenges that will come our way and the battles that we will face. Therefore, it’s always important to pay attention to the voice of the Lord. In John chapter 10, verses 27 and 28, it says, «My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.»
Sheep are rather simple creatures that are exposed to the dangers of a harsh world, and it was even more so in the days of Jesus when sheep had many predators. They had to deal with wolves, bears, and lions. Sheep have no natural protection against these animals or predators; they must rely on the shepherd. Thus, the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd was crucial for the sheep’s safety. That is the context within which Jesus is speaking. The sheep had to hear His voice.
The method of every predator was to get the sheep away from the shepherd. Sometimes they would look for a wandering sheep that had moved away from the shepherd on its own and attack it; or sometimes they would scare the shepherd so the sheep could be easily attacked. But of course, Jesus is the shepherd who cannot be frightened. However, that is what happened in those days. Thieves in the days of Jesus would trick the sheep by imitating the sound of the shepherd. They would make the sound the shepherd makes to guide the sheep in one direction or another and would try to imitate it.
That’s why Jesus is saying that His sheep must hear His voice. There are imitative voices and there is the real voice, and He emphasizes that the sheep must discern between the thief, who is imitating His voice, and He Himself, who is speaking to us.Jesus used this analogy to talk to us about how we must discern His voice. Because the sheep is threatened by many enemies, it must learn the shepherd’s voice very clearly. So how do we survive in this world if we are God’s sheep and are surrounded by so much hardship? We have to learn to hear God’s voice.
Someone may say, «Wow, God’s voice is so difficult to hear. How can I hear God’s voice? Is it going to thunder from heaven?» No, God speaks to us very simply. In fact, He has already spoken to us, and all we need to do is find out what He has said. His word is in the Bible. The more we read the Bible, the better we understand God’s voice and see how God deals with people, how God handles situations, and how God responds to human need. We can observe all of this, particularly as we listen to the words of Jesus Christ, and in doing so, we get to hear the voice of the shepherd.
So, if you want to hear the voice of your shepherd, listen to Jesus Christ. Read His words in the New Testament. The more you read His words, particularly the Gospels, the more you will come to know the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Read what His apostles said about Him in the Epistles; this helps you to hear the voice of Jesus.
Then He says that when we hear His voice, we must follow; we must obey His voice. Hearing what He says is one thing, but doing what He says is another. We must not just be hearers, but doers also, and then we must trust in His protection. Now, when we stay in the word of God, when we do the word of God, and when we trust in God’s protection, He takes us through the valley of the shadow of death, and we fear no evil. So in 2022, let us walk with the shepherd, hear His voice, obey His voice, and trust in Christ our Shepherd. He who has started with us will walk us through every danger; what we cannot handle, He is able to manage. We trust Him, and we hear His voice.
So, spend time in the scriptures, spend time listening to God’s voice, and spend time obeying the voice of the shepherd. Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, You are my instructor. Teach me to hear Your voice and follow when You call me. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»
Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.