Encouragement for Today

April 22, 2024 Does Jesus Want To Talk to Me? LYNN COWELL Lee en español

“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” John 10:3-4 (NIV)

The notification pops up on my phone, and I smile. My friend has left me a voice message. Immediately, I look for an opportunity to slip away and listen.

I love hearing what is happening in my friend’s world, how she’s feeling, or how I can pray for her. Though we haven’t seen each other in years and have, in fact, only met in person a few times, she has become a dear friend and a voice of wisdom in my life.

In John 10, Jesus compared Himself to a good shepherd and described how those who follow Him hear His voice:

“… The sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:3-4).

The example of a shepherd and sheep would have been familiar to the people Jesus was originally preaching to. Daily, they would have seen shepherds and sheep in the Israeli countryside.

For me, a city girl living in the United States, I needed to learn a little about shepherds and sheep to understand what Jesus was teaching.

Here’s what I discovered: Using a combination of sounds and words, shepherds lead with their voices. Going ahead of those in their care, a shepherd leads the sheep to bits of greenery, pools of water, and ultimately to a resting place after a long day. Since sheep are in the care of the shepherd day in and day out, they grow familiar with his voice. The sheep expect and anticipate their shepherd’s guidance and feel safe in his care.

Jesus tells us: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14, NIV). Here, Jesus expresses His desire to interact with and lead us.

This passage got me thinking: Do I expect to hear my Shepherd’s voice? Just like I look for messages from my friend, do I anticipate communication from Jesus?

As followers of Jesus, you and I can expect our Shepherd to speak to us. The Bible is filled with His words, and He may bring to mind scriptures we have read or memorized. A song may bring a reminder of His love. We might sense a nudging in our spirit, or what 1 Kings 19:12 describes as the “still small voice” of God (NKJV).

However He speaks, we can be confident in Jesus’ desire to communicate with us. Just as we wait expectantly for communication in our other relationships, we can wait and expect to hear from our Friend and Shepherd, Jesus.

Good Shepherd, thank You for wanting to talk to me and lead me. Help me to learn to listen for and recognize Your voice so I can follow You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

When was the last time you paused and asked yourself, How am I feeling? As Christians, it’s so important for us to recognize that emotions are not something to be afraid of. In fact, they’re actually gifts from God! And when we start giving ourselves permission to feel our feelings, we’ll start healing. This recent conversation on The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast with Lysa TerKeurst and Jennie Allen covers all of this and more! Start listening here.

In the uncertainty of her situation, Esther was a woman who was desperate to be led by God. Lynn Cowell’s Bible study Esther: Seeing Our Invisible God in an Uncertain World, teaches us how, like Esther, we, too, can learn to hear from God. Get your copy today!

ENGAGE

For encouragement and hope, you can connect with Lynn on Instagram and download her free resource “Ten Scriptures to Hang on to When Life Is Uncertain” here.

FOR DEEPER STUDY

Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (NIV).

What are some ways God has spoken to you in the past? What would it look like for you to anticipate God speaking to you today?

We'd love to hear from you in the comments!

© 2024 by Lynn Cowell. All rights reserved.