The Sunday School class was bustling with activity. Preschoolers and their noises filled the room. Boys VROOMing as they raced toy cars and scooped trash with their cranes. Girls serving breakfast from their plastic kitchen. Brothers wrestling. The harmony of their playtime was joyful but noisy!
From the room next door, the beat of the worship music snuck through the walls. The bass and the chorus of the children were audible but hardly distinct.
“I hear my Daddy.”
“What?” I asked.
“I hear my Daddy,” Kyle declared.
“There is no way!”
“Yeah, I hear him,” he insisted.
I listened, knowing full well that Kyle’s daddy was leading worship for the class next door. Nope, there was no way I could hear him. I strained. But couldn’t.
But his son did.
I wondered if Kyle had anticipated that his father was next door and about to lead worship, but with his preschool mind and the design of the classrooms, he couldn’t have.
And so – amongst the cacophony of preschoolers, Kyle heard his daddy’s voice.
How?! Because he knows his daddy intimately.
Kyle has been going through difficult times at home. Through these times, dad is the one constant, loyal parent that has given this little boy security and unconditional love. His daddy is his world, his sanctuary, his refuge.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27 NIV)
Kyle’s awareness of his father’s presence was a call to action. The beauty of his relationship with his daddy struck a yearning in my heart and questions flooded my mind.
Am I as keenly aware of my heavenly Father?
Do I need to know my Daddy is close by and is intimately concerned for me like Kyle does?
Can I hear his voice when he graciously interjects in my life? Through the cacophony.
In this unpredictable world, the Lord and His love for us is the one constant. He promises to never leave us. And he assures us that we can know him. “My sheep hear my voice.” He speaks.
If you’re listening, you can hear him, just as Kyle heard his dad.
A Minute to Meditate
John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
We are His sheep. He feeds us, cares for us, nurtures us. The Lord takes responsibility for our wellbeing and watches out after us.
We hear his voice –
The Lord doesn’t leave us to figure things out on our own. He speaks to us through his word, his Holy Spirit and godly counsel. Just as a faithful earthly father guides and directs his children for their benefit, The Lord, guides and directs each one of his sheep. You and me. That’s amazing! He is a personal God. An intimate God.
He knows us –
As a parent, you know your children. You know their mannerisms, their thought processes, what delights them and what concerns them. You can almost predict what they are thinking or how they will act in certain situations. God knows you this intimately. And He loves and accepts you completely.
Take a minute to meditate on the depth of God’s love for you – that He would walk with you and talk to you! Listen carefully, you can hear your Daddy’s voice.