A Good Shepherd

Hear the story from an individual working on the ground about her friend’s desire to know the voice of God.

“What does the voice of God sound like?” This is the question my friend asked after hearing me testify how God had led me in my life through His voice. “What do you mean when you said you KNEW God wanted you to do something?”, was her follow-up.

We had been meeting for only a few weeks then, but already I could see that she was hungry for a guiding light, a voice of Truth to take her through some difficult decisions and situations. I explained a little more about how I listen for the voice of God. 

Right before we got together that night, I had felt the Holy Spirit leading me to grab a small Gospel of John to give her to read. I wasn’t sure how I was going to present it to her, but as I prayed silently the Lord brought John chapter 10 to my mind-specifically verses 4 and 5 where Jesus talks about the sheep knowing the voice of the shepherd.

As I shared about Jesus being the Good Shepherd and how the more time we spend reading His word the more familiar we become with His voice, her face turned slowly from confusion to contentment. 

Many of our friends and neighbors here are just like this friend of mine. They are hoping for some direction, a source of wisdom in the midst of trying times. This both fills my heart with gratitude for the wellspring of wisdom I have in Jesus, yet also fills my heart with sorrow for the many lost sheep who are wandering aimlessly through the hills of my host country.

Praise God that He is a good shepherd who seeks out those lost sheep, welcomes them into the flock, and teaches them to know His voice. 

Please pray with us that many here will learn to recognize the voice of God speaking to them-calling them to come home. May His voice be heard in the pages of Scripture, in the power of His Spirit through dreams and visions, and even in nature itself as the book of Romans describes. Pray with us for the voice of the Good Shepherd to ring out clear and true in this land above the din of false religion and self-righteousness.

John 10: 4-5 (NIV)

“When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”