Dear Friends,
Spring is now officially one week old and the earth is showing signs of waking up and coming back to life.
Birds are returning, buds are swelling, skunk smell is back, our daffodils are poking light green heads up from under the leaves, and almost all the snow piles have melted! Despite the allergies and mud, spring continues to be my favorite season. It is full of new life and we too can leave our hibernation fireplaces and cozy homes to go forth into the warmth of the sunshine enjoying the glorious rebirth of our land, birds and animals.
We too can experience
renewal in our spirits as we consider the eternal new life that Jesus died to give us. As all the plants and animals are renewed and refreshed so too are our souls if we choose to enter into His life and Kingdom.
Jesus said, “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 10:27-28
According to Jesus, the job of the dumb, forgetful sheep (us) is to listen and follow. Pretty simple isn’t it?
He supplies the eternal life and the promise of eternal safety! But, can we really hear the voice of Jesus? Yes!
In John 10: 3-4 Jesus says,
The watchman opens the gate for him, and
the sheep listen to his voice.
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them,
And the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
For many years
I was afraid to listen for his voice because I didn’t trust myself to hear correctly. I wanted to get it right. Finally, I decided that I would get alone with God, just as Jesus did, and ask the deep questions of my heart. Then I would
listen and write down what came into my heart/mind knowing that I am not a perfect filter. Knowing that God would never contradict His Word, I listened. As I got more used to this practice I realized that He indeed was speaking to me.
His voice was different than mine and He said things of which I hadn’t thought. Often, like David in the Psalms, I would go to God when angry, scared, or hurt and vent to Him. Then I would begin to hear His still, soothing, compassionate voice wooing me into seeing the issue from His perspective.
I don’t bank on getting all the details right but
I’ve learned to discern the gist of His voice. I have seen and experienced His loving guidance in my life for a long time. His voice is different from mine and from the world’s.
His voice is compassionate, loving, direct, and encouraging even when convicting. The tone is positive and loving. Any time I hear the condemning, critical, negative voice I KNOW it is NOT Him and dismiss it.
Finally, Jesus confirms that we will learn to hear/discern His voice as the story continues in John 10:4-5
When He has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them,
And His sheep follow him because they know his voice.
But they will never follow a stranger; in fact,
They will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.
This spring,
let’s listen to His voice. We can hear Him in His creation, in our prayer closets, with our kids and everywhere else. As we prepare our hearts for Easter, the day that changed history for ever and ever,
let’s listen to His voice and follow Him!
Enjoying new life together,
Susan Hayward, Principal
