~Lindsay Wiercioch
Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God. John 8:47
Listening to a sermon on the radio, the preacher was talking about the resurrection of Christ. He spoke about the various aspects of the stone that was rolled away from the tomb as well as the angel(s) that were waiting. My attention was caught when he read John 20:15-16. While Mary is weeping for Jesus’ missing body she turns and sees Jesus standing there but doesn’t realize it’s Him. Jesus asks why she is crying, who is she looking for and Mary thinks He’s the gardener. It wasn’t until Jesus said to her “Mary” that she recognized who He was, crying out “Rabboni!” which means teacher.
In an article from Western University BrainCAN, it notes that familiarity with someone’s voice offers an advantage in noisy environments such as restaurants, making it easier to identify family or friends. It also helps us better understand the words that are being spoken. I myself did not recognize the voice of God until the day He delivered me.
There are many passages both in the Old Testament and new that speak of recognizing the voice of the Lord and responding.
In Hebrews 3 and 4, we read “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” written 3 times. And your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, “this is the way, walk in it”, when you turn to the right or turn to the left (Isaiah 31:21). “Truly. truly , I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live” (John 5:25). Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me (Revelations 3:20).
As believers of Christ we receive the blessing of recognizing and hearing His voice. We belong to Him. We are called by name by the King of Kings. Isaiah 43:1 …”Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine”. We know Him and we follow Him like sheep after the shepherd and He watches over us.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one is able to snatch them out of my hand (John 10:27-28). In the world today, the phrase “you’re a sheep” is a negative context meaning a person who is meek, stupid, timid, submissive, etc. The world does not know God and so cannot understand what blessing and honor we receive as part of the Kingdom of God.
Heavenly Father, we are blessed to be one of your flock. There will be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:18). We are saved and redeemed by Jesus and have a purpose in the Kingdom of heaven. We will hear Your voice and follow You. If anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, God listens to Him (John 9:31). Lord, speak to us so we can respond. Let us be obedient to You and follow where You lead us. Keep us safe under Your watch Jesus. We thank You Lord for calling us by name and that we belong to You. I pray for anyone reading these words to hear Your voice, Lord. Hear us when we cry out to You. You are a God of redemption and mercy. We thank You Lord for all the blessings we have received and the promises both filled and yet to be filled. In the mighty and precious name of Jesus, Amen.