Hearing A Voice

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The Voice of A Loved One

“Hi! I just called to . . .” This is the way several of the people I love start their phone conversations. I know which loved one it is by his or her voice.

Until several years ago when Pastor Dad served on a sequestered jury we had never gone a day without hearing each other’s voice even when separated by many miles. Comfort is found in hearing a loved one’s voice and it goes beyond what text messages or emails provide. Hearing a voice gives even distant relationships a certain in-the-same-room quality.

My sister-in-law was telling me recently that she is so thankful to have recordings of her husband’s voice. She needs the peace that comes from hearing the familiar tone and intonations of her beloved who is waiting for her in eternity.

I understand that need. I remember as a child my grief when I realized that I could no longer remember the sound of my grandpa’s voice. I wish we had recorded it but back then we were just impressed to be able to make home movies, a major technological advance over still photos! Sound recorders were tape machines that were bigger than the speakers that hang from most church auditoriums and most people did not have access to them.

Obviously, hearing the voice of someone we love is comforting because of the relationship between the speaker and the hearer. Some voices are just music to our ears, as the cliché says.

The scriptures tell us that Jesus’ sheep hear his voice and follow him. We don’t hear him audibly like John, the beloved apostle did, but we hear by reading His words. By doing so we are able to discern direction for our lives, both for this temporal one and the eternal one to come.

The Voice of an Imitator

Sometimes our hearing is faulty. In a world of constant noise and confusion it is often difficult to tell if the voice we hear is that of our Shepherd. There are also some good imitations out there.

As I recently watched a cartoon movie with my grandson I was certain that I knew the voice behind one of the characters. I was surprised to see another name listed in the credits. I had others watch and then quizzed them on the identity of the voice. Their guesses were the same as mine. We were all fooled.

Our children tell a story about when Philip would call our house and mistakenly think he was talking to Karen. It wasn’t until Lisa gave herself away by laughing that he knew that the voice on the other end of the line was not that of his fiancée.

As Christians we can also be fooled by voices that sound almost identical to our beloved Shepherd’s. Satan provides an almost exact imitation in order to confuse the sheep. He tried the same trick by twisting scripture ever so slightly with the Shepherd Himself during the wilderness temptation. But the Word that became flesh and dwelt among men was not fooled and neither will we be if we search the scriptures like the believers in Berea did to determine what they really say.

Read your Bible daily. It is how the Shepherd talks to His sheep. Only by being familiar with God’s Word will the sheep be able to recognize His voice. Christians who study their Bible might still be fooled by a fake voice sometimes but the voice of the Shepherd will soon be heard calling over the sound of mayhem if their hearing is checked by the Word.

Those Without Ears to Hear

If you call yourself a Christian you might want to check to be sure you are interested in hearing what the Shepherd has to say. Are you interested in reading the Bible, God’s Word? If not perhaps Jesus is not your shepherd after and you have no ears to hear. When you really love someone you will want to hear his or her voice as much as possible.