Two Weeks of Praying GraceSample

Hearing Is Following

“To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow.” (John 10:3–5 NASB)

It is not unusual for a person who loses someone very dear to them to hang on to a final voicemail recording just to be able to hear their voice again. Our heart’s reaction to hearing the familiar voice of someone who was so much a part of our daily life can be overwhelming. This is doubly true if it is a parent whose voice we might have been hearing since before birth.

The voice of your heavenly Father has much the same power to our born-again spirits. Even though our experience of hearing God’s voice doesn’t involve sound waves, when we hear it, something inside our hearts responds.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27 NASB).

Please notice that the Lord didn’t say, “My sheep ought to follow Me.” He didn’t say, “My sheep should strive to hear My voice and, if they know what’s good for them, they will do their best to follow Me.”

The point is, Jesus’ words are not a command to be obeyed. They are not an exhortation to be heeded. He simply made three statements of fact:

My sheep hear My voice.

I know them.

They follow Me.

Notice the additional comforting promise in that same John 10 passage: “A stranger they simply will not follow.” Hearing and following Jesus isn’t a burden to try to bear; it is a promise to receive.

He knows you. You hear Him. You follow Him. Be at peace!

Prayer of Declaration:

Oh, Good Shepherd, I thank You that my spirit hears Your voice and responds to it. The ears of my heart are attuned to Your voice. I receive guidance, instruction, direction, correction, encouragement, and comfort from You easily and clearly.

You are leading me beside still waters and restoring my soul. I lack nothing. You are supplying all my needs. I receive Your promise that a stranger’s voice I will not follow. Where You lead, I’ll follow today.