“For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice.”
With the Shepherd
This verse pivots from settled belonging directly into urgency: today, if ye will hear his voice. Belonging to the shepherd does not eliminate the ongoing, daily need to actually listen. The sheep of his hand are still called, each day, to the active practice of hearing, not merely resting on a status secured once in the past.
The word today matters. This is not a call to some eventual, someday responsiveness once conditions are more convenient. It is specifically now, this day, this actual moment you are reading this. Voices compete for a sheep’s attention constantly, and today is always the only day actual listening is possible.
This is a needed balance to the settled belonging of the previous day. You are his sheep, secure, belonging, made by him. And you are also called, today, to the ongoing discipline of actually hearing his voice rather than letting belonging become passive, assuming the relationship runs on autopilot without your active attention.
Hear his voice today, specifically, in whatever way he is speaking, through his word, through prayer, through the quiet prompting many sheep learn to recognize over time. Belonging is settled. Listening is still daily work worth doing.
Follow His Voice
- Set aside specific time today simply to listen for his voice.
- Notice competing voices vying for your attention and quiet them deliberately.
- Respond to whatever he shows you today, rather than letting it pass unattended.
Prayer
Lord, I belong to you, and today I want to actually hear you. Quiet the competing voices, and let me listen, specifically, today, not someday when it is more convenient. Amen.
Carry this today
Belonging is settled. Listening is still today’s work.