Day 20

 

His Voice

 

"When he has brought out all of his own, he goes ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice."

 

John 10:4

 

I worked in a shoe store when I was in Seminary. There was an unusual cast of characters that I worked with during my tenure there. I found that most everybody that worked at that shoe store had a story to tell.

 

There was a woman that worked there who was 30 something, married and attractive. She was having marital trouble: some of it having to do with her husband not adjusting to life after Vietnam and some of it because they had a handicapped child. I'm sure that if I had heard her husband's side of the story there would be more to it than what she told me.

 

I tried to help as much as I could. Being young and single I really had no clue when it came to marital advice. I tried to encourage her and I prayed for her. When the trouble finally led to seperation I invited her to come to church with me. I figured worshipping at church might perk her up.

 

I waited outside of church for her to show up and she arrived a little late so we sat in the back. After we sang a few hymns there was a responsive reading. I had never been a big fan of responsive readings until what happened that day. The reading was from John 10 about Jesus being the Good Shepherd. When, with the rest of us, she read the words out loud about the "sheep follow him because thery know his voice," I could see the tears streaming down her cheeks. She was a hurting little lamb that had heard the Shepherd's voice.

 

I hope you hear the voice of the Shepherd when you read his word. I hope, that like Peter, you can say, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

 

Upon Further Review

 

Read John 10:1-21

 

• Where can sheep find safety? And how do they enter eternal safety?
• How can we know that Jesus is the "Good Shepherd?"
• Who are those "other sheep" that are "not of this sheeppen?"