There are some people I am so close to that if I hear their voice, I know it is them even if I cannot see them. That is how well we should know the Lord’s voice. Even if we cannot now see Him with our eyes, we know His voice instantly because we have been with Him so much.

         I have read many books on knowing the Lord’s voice, and they can have wisdom and helpful insights. However, no book can teach us to know the Lord’s voice because this cannot come from teaching, but from experience. 

         For example, I could accurately describe a person’s voice to you technically with every possible scientific measurement, the decibel level they talk in, whether they were a tenor or bass, etc., but you still could not distinguish their voice from anyone else’s unless you have personally heard their voice. The more you are around them and hear them speak, the more easily you can distinguish their voice from any others. That is how we get to know the Lord’s voice.

         The Lord used the example of how His sheep know His voice because all of the metaphors He used helped to illuminate His teachings. Shepherds actually lead their sheep mostly with their voice. Sheep spend so much time with their shepherd that they get to know his voice better than any others, and can easily distinguish his from anyone else’s voice.

         I once read an account of a man visiting a country in the Middle East. One day he sat on a hill overlooking a watering hole that shepherds brought their flocks to each day. As he watched, he was alarmed to see three large flocks of sheep come to the watering hole at the same time. This tourist was sure the flocks would so intermingle that it would be nearly impossible to get them all separated again, yet the shepherds just stood together nearby talking as if they were unconcerned about this. After all of the sheep had been watered, the three shepherds each started down a different path and began to sing. He said it looked like a great convulsion within the huge flock, and then little streams of sheep started down the paths after each shepherd until they were all separated into their own flock. These sheep knew their own shepherd’s voice and could distinguish his from all of the others. 

         This is how we must know the Lord as our Shepherd, and be able to distinguish His voice from all others. This can only come by being with Him. However, it will not do us much good in getting to know His voice if when we are with Him we do all of the talking. As we are told in Ecclesiastes 5:1-2:

         “Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. 

         “Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth. Therefore, let your words be few.” 

         Would anyone not be considered a fool if they were given an audience before a king and tried to do all of the talking? How much more when we come before the King of kings? He has invited us to bring our petitions to Him, but should we not have enough respect for Him to listen to what He might have to say to us before we start talking? 

         How would you like to have every prayer you make answered? We are told in I John 5:14-15 how to do this. “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” So, would it not be wise to seek His mind about the things we pray for so that we pray according to His will? How will we know His mind about them if we do not listen to Him?

© 2021 Rick Joyner. All Right Reserved.