How many voices do you know by hearing them? Do you know the voice of your parents? Do you know the voice of your spouse? Do you know the voices of your siblings? Do you know the voice of your close friends? Do you know the voice of Jesus?
We know lots of voices. We recognize them when we hear them. We may hear them from another room, but we know who is speaking. Our brains catalog those voices. They are familiar. Some of them we trust while others we do not.
Our brains are amazing organs within our bodies. They are used to record the voices we hear. They catalog them and associate different feelings about them. Our brains also associate a variety of other data with a voice, such as authority, friendship, trusting, distrusting, anxiety, obedience, disobedience, etc.
Knowing Jesus’ voice can be a little more challenging for us. Some of us may have heard the Holy Spirit speak to us within our own heads, but it is not the same as hearing a voice with our ears. No, hearing Jesus does not often require us to hear with our ears but with our heart.
Jesus may speak through any number of people. He may speak a word of wisdom through one person and a word of warning through another. Hearing Jesus requires us to be connected to the Holy Spirit and to use discernment. The audible sound we hear will not be Jesus’ voice, but the words spoken may be His.
We can also hear Jesus speak as we read the Bible. His wisdom, instruction, and guidance are there for us to read and to hear. His voice is available for us to hear, if we will listen for it.
I pray we all seek to hear Jesus’ voice. I pray we connect with the Holy Spirit. I pray each one of us will listen with our hearts and minds, while discerning to determine if it is Jesus speaking. Know the Shepherd’s voice. Jesus speaks to us today. Jesus speaks through the Holy Spirit. Jesus speaks through the Bible. Hear Jesus speak.
John 10:4 “When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
Marty Pressey 