“I’m back to the shepherd and the sheep. When the sheep follow the shepherd, they find pasture. They find life. Life doesn’t just magically come to us. We have to make ourselves available to it. There is a lifestyle that allows us to receive the life of God. I know that if I will live more intimately with Jesus and follow his voice, I will have a much better chance of finding the life I long for. I know it. If I will listen to his voice and let him set the pace, if I will cooperate in my transformation, I will be a much happier man. And so a new prayer has begun to arise within me. I am asking God, What is the life you want for me?”
John Eldridge, ‘Walking with God’
I read this passage this morning in my quiet time and it stood out to me as such a profound thought, yet such a simple one. As Christians we so often labor and toil to try to make life better, or easier, or more enjoyable. In John chapter 10 Jesus tells us that He is the good shepherd. He leads us out and we follow Him because we know His voice. A few verses later Jesus says that “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” God wants to give us abundant life, yet how often do we ignore the voice of the shepherd and try to find it on our own? Then we get upset with the shepherd because we can’t find the pasture. We need to learn to listen to His voice. So simple, yet so challenging.
I hope this encourages you the same way it encouraged me to listen more intentionally for the voice of the Good Shepherd.
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