“He guides me” (Psalm 23:3)
Are you a creature of habit? I would guess that each of us have some form of routine that we cling to on a daily basis. Sheep are notorious creatures of habit. When they are left to their own devices, green pastures become wastelands and foot paths become deep ruts. Because of that, shepherds know they need to keep their sheep on the move.
Notice the relationship that the Psalmist described: “He guides me.” When describing God’s guidance, David points to the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. That relationship becomes the knowledge base for trust. This single most important value in any relationship is trust. That principle is true whether we’re talking about human relationships or our spiritual relationship with God.
There are many competing voices vying for our attention. Daily we are bombarded with messages from the media and from other people that demand our attention. Many of these messages promise a better life or a happier existence. They offer solutions to problems we may not even realize we have. Somehow we have to learn to pick the voice of God out from all the static in the signal. We want F.M. clarity, but often feel like we’re stuck in A.M. Admittedly, it can become quite confusing. As Henry Blackaby would say, “We learn to recognize the Shepherd’s voice through experience.”
Learning to identify the voice of God is important, for He has the 30,000’ view of your life. He is transcendent, above time and space. He sees your yesterday, today, and tomorrow simultaneously. God doesn’t promise you a crystal ball, but He does promise to be a lamp for your feet and a light for your path.
On six different occasions, Jesus said, “Let him who has ears to hear, hear.” We can learn two things from that simple phrase. First, we’ve been created to hear. God has created us with the ability to hear his voice and receive divine guidance. Second, God has something to say to his children. If we are not hearing the voice of God, it could be that we are either not listening or can’t identify his voice through the din of noise that distracts our attention. When we struggle to hear from God, the first and best thing we can do is to become still. Sit down and relax. Turn off the media and get quiet. Shut the door and get alone. Then we can meditate and focus on the God who is not silent.
