DAY 15

THE VOICE

NIKKI CATHERINCCHIA, TEACHING PASTOR, THE WOODS CHURCH

The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing. Psalm 23:1

The miracle of life never ceases to amaze me. Studies show that just moments after birth a baby already prefers their mother’s voice to any other female voice it may hear. It is the voice they recognize the most. While in the womb a baby’s ears begin to function around the 18-week mark, and by the 26th week the baby is already responding to sounds outside of the womb. How incredible is that? In all the sounds that a baby will hear, none will ever come close to the sound of their mother’s voice. Day in and day out, the mother’s voice is constant. Her laughter and her cries are etched into the child's memory before they ever draw breath. This is the voice the baby will respond to most because familiarity births intimacy and emotional connection.

No one can deny that we live in a loud world. All day long voices vie for attention. Our parents, our educators, our friends, our coworkers, our spouses, our kids, the TV, the phone, the radio, social media—all day long we are bombarded with voices. These voices instruct, they debate, they dictate, and they motivate. They inspire, they challenge, they teach, they build up and they tear down. Every morning we wake up with a choice: which voices we will listen to the most. Of course this is not usually a conscious choice. I don’t think I know a single person who wakes up asking themselves which voices have the right to speak into their lives on any given day. Not at all. The choice comes through the environments we place ourselves in, through the TikToks we choose to watch, the podcasts we choose to listen to, the sources we allow to entertain and instruct us. You see, a voice cannot speak into your life unless you give it permission to. And the voice you listen to most holds the truths you will begin to live by. If you are constantly listening to influencers touting whatever the latest and greatest thing is that will make your life so much better, you will waste a whole lot of time and money amassing products you do not need and never satisfy as promised. If all you ever listen to are news outlets and podcasts with a certain political or ideological leaning, chances are very likely you too will begin to espouse those views. Simply put, we become the voices we listen to.

It’s no wonder that Jesus emphasized the significance of His voice. In fact, in John’s Gospel, when Jesus proclaims Himself the Good Shepherd, He tells us this:

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. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:3–4

Jesus makes it clear, He is well aware that people are like sheep. We are all listening for a voice, and we all need a Good Shepherd. In a sea of never-ending voices, it is Jesus' voice that will bring us truth and life. It is Jesus’ voice that will bring love and purpose. It is Jesus’ voice that sustains, comforts, teaches, corrects, and leads. It is Jesus’ voice we should be longing for most. But is it?

There are 168 hours in a week. Let’s say we are all good sleepers, getting 8 hours in every night, that means there are 112 hours a week where our ears are listening. If all we are giving Jesus is an hour on Sundays and our prayer life only adds up to minutes or a few hours a week, that means we are choosing to give the world well over 100 hours of our time, every single week!  Friends, we will never become like Jesus if we live like that. You see, Jesus knew exactly what He was saying when He declared Himself the Good Shepherd. Out of all the domesticated animals, sheep are the most dependent. Without a shepherd, they are vulnerable to predators; other animals that will hurt them. It is the shepherd that protects and defends them. Without a shepherd, sheep cannot feed themselves. It is the shepherd that leads to safe pastures and cool streams. Without a shepherd, sheep easily wander off into dangerous territory. It is the shepherd that keeps them on the safe path. Without a shepherd, sheep that are injured or sick cannot recover. It is the shepherd that rescues them, comforts them, heals them. You see where I am going with this? Do you see where Jesus was going with this? WE NEED JESUS!! Not for just an hour one day a week. We need Him moment by moment, day by day. Even the most well intentioned and loving voices in our lives can never eclipse the vital importance of Jesus’ voice. His is the voice we must choose to listen to most. His is the voice we must long for.

Like the baby in the womb who is born already intimately connected to their mother because of the sound of her voice, we too must ensure that Jesus’ voice is that familiar to us. Cultivating intimacy with Jesus is where we learn the sound of His voice. Spending time daily in His presence through prayer and reading His Word is where we create space for Jesus’ voice to override all the other voices vying for our attention. Our good friend, Pastor Rob McCorkle, always says that “Life is found in the voice,” and it is. It is found in the voice of Jesus, the Savior who died so that we might live, here and now and for all eternity.

Are you hungry for more of what you heard about Jesus? Feast yourself on His Word.

Are you living a dry, unfulfilled life? Are you thirsty for something real and authentic? Take a drink from time in Jesus’ presence and you will never be thirsty again.

Are you tired of running on the hamster wheel of life? Jump off and let the Good Shepherd lead to green pastures and still waters. His voice will never lead you astray, nor will it cause you to waste money on things you do not need and will never satisfy you. Only the voice that spoke us into creation can ever truly satisfy our souls. Choose His voice today.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You that You are our Good Shepherd and that Your voice brings truth, peace, and life. Help us to quiet the noise around us so that we may hear You more clearly. Teach us to recognize Your voice above all others, and give us the courage to follow where You lead. May our hearts grow more familiar with You each day through prayer and Your Word. We choose Your voice today and always. In Your name we pray. Amen.