October 17th

Hearing His Voice

John 10:27-28
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

My Sheep Hear My Voice

These are the words of Jesus, concerning those who would believe on Him, those who would follow Him. Everyone who has ever given their heart to the LORD to follow Him and to serve Him has heard His voice. After all, how could we follow Him, if we had not heard His voice?

Yet, His voice is not generally an audible voice, but rather a tugging of the heart, an inner understanding or knowing of what He is saying. The Bible says that Elijah heard the LORD speak with a still small voice, or, that is, a whisper.

Born of the Spirit

Jesus said that everyone who is born of the Spirit is like one who can hear the wind, but cannot see it. In other words, they can hear something they cannot see. That wind represents the voice of the Spirit, the voice of the LORD. All of the sheep of the Good Shepherd can hear His voice.

How to Hear His Voice

How does one hear the voice of the LORD? Some say that they never hear His voice, yet He is always speaking. He speaks to our heart, not our head, not our natural ears. He speaks to us with inner intuitions and inner knowing. We can sense His presence. But we have to sometimes come apart with Him to get quiet enough to hear Him, to allow Him to give us inner guidance.

The idea of being able to hear the LORD’s voice is not really a new and radical notion. Christians have sung about it for centuries. Just listen to the words of the classic hymn “In the Garden” by writer Anne Murray.

    In the Garden by Anne Murray

I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses

And He walks with me, and He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known

He speaks and the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me within my heart is ringing

And He walks with me and He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known

Hear His Voice

Spend some time with Him today in quietness and solitude. Ask Him to speak to you, and believe that the word of God is true when it says, “My Sheep hear My voice.” He is ever ready to speak to those who have ears to hear, and who will take time to listen.