My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27. ESV
How do you “hear” the voice of God? What kind of tone do you “hear” when you read God’s Word? Do you hear a commanding voice? The voice of the Lord is over the waters, the God of glory thunders, the Lord over many waters. Psalm 29:3 ESV. As a child I could always tell the level of my parents irritation with me by how they said my name. I’m sure my children would say the same. The frustration tone, the endearing tone or the I’m about over it tone all aided in communicating my feelings.
I was reading John 15:1 the other day. I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. The amazing thing to me is I heard in my spirit a different tone than I had ever thought about. I imagined Jesus sharing this news with his disciples. I am the true vine. This was a true fact. But then I heard an excited, delighted rest of the verse. And my Father is the vinedresser. In the manner that He was so glad for them that they (we) had the Father as our Master Gardener. It was one of the first times I thought about Jesus and how his tone of voice might have changed when He was talking about His Father. Reading it “flat”, “factual” sort of like the voice of Dragnet, without any emotion now seems off to me.
I want to encourage you to read the whole chapter from the viewpoint. It makes me want to get to know and trust our vinedresser even more. His intimate pruning, fertilizer and cultivating brings him along side–especially when I think about the relationship between the Father and the Son. I hope this Point of View perspective will draw you closer them both.
Last week, in Faith and Trusting Faith, I mentioned my car issues. The wonderful news, is that after a suggestion from a friend, I took my car to our local Les Schwab shop. The problem turned out to be a broken splash guard, which they fixed with a zip tie! I leave today for a 1200 mile trip. I am so grateful to know my car is safe and sound for the trip. Trusting faith helps us keep on going till we get to the other side of the problem. We serve such a great, great Father.
Father, I ask you to help us grow in understanding how You and Your Son relate to each other. I thank you for helping us hear the correct tone of voice when you speak to us through Your Word. Let not our own hurts and perspectives taint how we hear You, for Your character stays the same, no matter what. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Faith Encounters 