“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27)

I was once at a party with my children at one of those enormous trampoline/bounce house/obstacle course centers. The place was jam packed with parents and children to the point where I couldn’t visually locate my kids, who were hidden somewhere within a 4-story jungle gym.

Although it was tremendously loud in there with hundreds of people yelling, screaming, laughing, and crying all at the same time, once I called my children’s names, I soon saw them emerge from the depths of the structure.

Yes I may have a loud voice, but that’s besides the point. 😉 Just as my children were able to recognize and respond to my voice amidst the blaring noise and distractions, we as followers of Christ should likewise do the same when our Shepherd calls.

In these two simple sentences of John 10:27, Jesus perfectly describes our relationship with Him as sheep to their shepherd.

• “My sheep listen to my voice” – Followers of Jesus are not only able to hear God’s voice, but we actually LISTEN to Him. (By “hear” I don’t necessarily mean audibly, but by whichever means He chooses to speak to us.)
• “I know them” – We are known intimately by God. He knows what we will respond to and how to speak to us in ways where we will recognize His voice amidst the noise.
• “and they follow me” – Once we hear His voice, we respond in action through faith. We don’t simply hear and ignore, but listen and follow through.
• “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” – Jesus saves His sheep from the clutches of sin, death, and eternal separation from God.
• “no one can snatch them out of my hand” – Once we genuinely accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, are justified by His blood, and are grafted into the family of God by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we can never lose our saving relationship with Him! Satan himself cannot snatch a true believer out of the hand of our Mighty Shepherd!

What a beautiful picture and amazing promise that Jesus has reminded me of today! May we all be encouraged that Jesus is our Shepherd who intimately knows us, loves us, protects us, and is calling our names; that we may hear the voice of our Shepherd and follow Him down paths of righteousness for the glory of His Name!

[From January 10, 2019]