“It takes time for a stranger to become family.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – June 22, 2024
And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. John 10:4-5, NKJV
Though I endlessly block numbers and report spam, rarely does a day pass that I don’t receive a telemarketing phone call, trying to convince me that I need a small-business loan, that I owe unpaid back taxes, or any number of additional contrived and desperate pitches. And while my phone may flag it for me in advance with a “potential spam” warning, the quickest way for me to discern the ingenuity of the call is the voice. Within just a few seconds, I can identify the caller as a complete stranger, which immediately sets me on guard and tells me to move along.
On the other hand, if my wife or child were to call me, even if I didn’t know the number, I would immediately recognize their voice, and therefore move toward them with vulnerability and compassion. Why? Because we’ve built a life together of mutual trust and sacrificial love that is the fruit of countless hours in each other’s presence. It takes time for a stranger to become family. Knowledge of the other cannot happen overnight, and is cultivated through a lifetime of patience and mutual understanding.
Many of us claim familiarity with Jesus when he, in fact, remains a stranger.
Perhaps we have a cultural knowledge of Jesus, based on depictions of him in films or children’s books. We may have heard a great deal about him, but never heard from him. For Jesus to move from a stranger to an intimate friend, we must spend time in his presence, learning to discern his voice from a crowd of strangers.
There is no substitute for time spent with Christ in Scripture and in prayer. Devotional guides and books are helpful and certainly have their place, but often, they tell of someone else’s journey with Christ. Inspirational as this may be, it should inspire us into our own lived experience with the Lord, not simply piggybacking on the spiritual experiences of another.
Jesus invites us to follow him into the lush pastures of his kingdom. To do so, we must know the sound of his voice. Learn to listen each and every day, and over time, you will silence the voice of strangers and respond only to the call of the Good Shepherd.
Prayer
Father, thank you for the gift of knowing you and following your Son as he leads. Help us silence the voice of strangers, and cling to him each and every day, through the power of your Spirit. Amen.
Application
Is the voice of Jesus the voice of a stranger or of a trusted and true shepherd?
Related Reading
Psalm 119:105; Isaiah 30:21; Romans 8:14
Worship Resource
Keith & Kristyn Getty, Jordan Kauflin, & Matt Merker: I Will Wait for You (Psalm 130)
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