Are You Listening?

I have a gigantic Saint Bernard dog at my house (along with 2 Boston Terriers). He is hairy and slobbery BUT the gentlest, kindest, smartest, well -behaved and loyalest of friends. I love him dearly.

And did I mention that he has great hearing?

He is not much of a barker unless he is alerting me to a visitor ( or if he wants to come in ). He also knows when I am asleep so if someone is walking in the house he alerts me.

None of this is particularly strange except that he knows the sound of my footsteps. Jake never barks when I walk around at night. If I get up to get a drink he knows it's me and just looks at me with one eye open. But if someone else gets up he lets me know with a short woof.

If at first he doesn't recognize the footstep but the person calls out to him and recognized the voice then he will relax. Jake knows the sound of  not only his master's voice but of the sound of how I walk.

What if we had the same heightened sense of hearing that we not only knew the sound of The Masters voice but also of HIS approaching footstep?

The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them.

...and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:2-3,4c NIV

The sheep listen to his voice. They follow him because they KNOW his voice. It is only because they KNOW him that they follow him.

If we want to follow Jesus we first must spend time recognizing HIS Voice. And that takes time and discipline. 

Our days and nights are filled with so many voices that is why it is imperative that we KNOW HIS VOICE. 

Spend time in HIS Word and in prayer every day. Practice listening. Cultivate a quietness to be able to hear HIM. Develop a keen ear for HIS Voice and you may find that you can even hear HIS footsteps as HE approaches to lead you!!!

Humbly,

ruthann