A Distinctive Voice

A Distinctive Voice

Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them.

Ezekiel 34:30

IN WORD Every shepherd has a distinctive call that his sheep can recognize. That’s particularly helpful when several flocks are mingled together at one watering place; the shepherd needs only call his sheep, and they will separate themselves from the rest.

Our Shepherd has a distinctive voice, and Jesus said His sheep will be able to recognize it. In John 10, that voice was the miracles Jesus did in the Father’s name. The skeptics didn’t acknowledge the character or the work of God, so they couldn’t hear the voice of God. But those who are of His flock can distinguish His character, marvel at His work, and therefore hear His voice.

We need to keep that in mind. We cannot live in this world without diligent attention to discernment. There are quite a few flocks mingling around the watering holes of this world, and an ear-shattering din of shepherds calling to their sheep. If we can’t distinguish our Shepherd’s voice from theirs, we’re liable to end up in the wrong flock and headed in the wrong direction. In fact, that’s where most sheep are headed, indiscriminate in their choice of shepherds to follow. They hear the smorgasbord of appealing voices and choose the one that sounds most promising at the moment. Sadly, they end up in one of many flocks headed away from the Good Shepherd’s pasture.

IN DEED Make discernment a priority. In eternal matters, sheep cannot coast through life. They have to be able to hear the Master’s call, and they aren’t going to hear it merely by going with the flow of their culture. Hearing our Shepherd requires diligence, persistence, and constant attentiveness to the subtleties of His ways.

At all costs, avoid being like the Pharisees who saw the works of God and didn’t recognize them. Culture, the habits of tradition, and false assumptions called to them at the same time the Shepherd did, and they listened to the wrong things. When you sense the God of the Bible at work, hear His voice. Follow Him always.

The voice of God is a friendly voice. No one need fear to listen to it unless he has already made up his mind to resist it.

—A. W. TOZER