“TURN YOUR RADIO ON”
John 10:3-5
"The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
The sounds of nature are like beautiful music. Never has a song been written that can compete with the melody that comes from God's creation. I love listening to the birds; cardinals, chickadees, Baltimore Oriels, owls etc, as well as the frogs and the other animals that the Lord gave voice to. This spring and early summer we listened to the lonesome sound of a whippoorwill from our front window. It always reminds me of my dad, as this was his favorite bird call. The assembly call of a bobwhite quail, the mournful nighttime song of a loon and many other sounds are beautiful and a true gift from God.
No other sound in nature is prettier to me than that of a bull elk in September. I've traveled days just to listen to the sounds that range from bellowing grunts to screams to flutelike whistling... There's nothing like it. I have a goal to one day call in a bull moose. While their call is nothing as beautiful as an elk… It has a different powerful sound with it that still has its own beauty.
As much as I love those sounds, I love the sound of God's voice even more. The funny thing is that the prettiest sound in all God's universe isn't usually heard through my ears, but through my heart. For the last 7 years it's also heard through my fingers. He speaks to me and through me as I write each day. Does that sound weird? Maybe, but it's true. Much of that is because I am reading His word as I write. Reading the Bible is probably going to be the best way to hear God speak to you.
In the verses above John wrote that "His sheep listen to His voice" other translations say they "hear" His voice. They don't say that they "can hear"... THEY HEAR. This is alien even to many Christians. We don't hear His voice... Or do we?
Radio and television stations transmit twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week; but we only hear them when we turn the receiver on and tune it in. Failure to hear the signal doesn’t mean the station isn’t transmitting. Likewise, God is constantly transmitting His voice to His sheep, but few are turned on and tuned in. Most Christians are busy pleading with God in prayer to transmit when the problem is with their receivers, they aren’t turning them on. There is an old song that’s called “Turn Your Radio On". It tells us if we want to hear His voice all we have to do is to tune in.
There have been times when Linda and I both woke up praying for the same friend. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Nearly every year I choose someone that I commit to pray for each and every day for 12 months. It’s God that leads us to do that... It isn't on our own. He speaks to us to lift up a friend, to call a loved one, to stop to see someone etc.… often, I start typing a note of encouragement to someone without even thinking too much about it.
Spend time in a quiet place with God, slow down and listen to what He has to say. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”. If we aren't listening, we won't hear Him… we must be tuned in.
1 Kings 19:12 says that God's voice came as a "gentle whisper". It didn't come in the earthquake, or the strong wind or the fire... But a "gentle whisper"... Are you listening for God's gentle whisper? We must remain close to Him to hear His voice. Try hearing a whisper from a distance, it can’t be done. It’s only when we are close to Him that we can hear His voice.
Remember God is transmitting 24/7, 365 days a year... All we have to is tune in our hearts to what He is sending out. He wants us to hear His voice.
TURN YOUR RADIO ON
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