Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” At first this sounds like a logical, easy progression of events. We hear God’s voice, and we follow. Except, in actual experience, it can be difficult to know when we’ve heard the voice of God. Frequently, it is unclear whether the advice from a trusted friend, colleague, or pastor is really a word from God or just another random piece of counsel. Through all the clamor of myriad messages with which the modern world increasingly surrounds us, we struggle to distinguish the voice of the Shepherd. Even as we try to discern the voice of God, we struggle to know.

Just as the sheep recognize their shepherd’s voice through repeated experience and practice, so also we become more adept at recognizing the voice of God. We would be wise, then, to cultivate practices of silent meditation and carve out spaces of quiet to enable godly listening. Yet, here is the good news: The Shepherd knows us. As we foster attentive ears ready to hear God in any given moment or situation and take that first step of faith in conviction of things not yet seen, the source of our assurance is not so much our knowledge of God but the Shepherd’s perfect knowledge of us. God knows our every need, weakness, and fear. God knows our every gift and our heart. The Good Shepherd always seeks our well-being, and no one can snatch that away. Rather than relying upon our own questionable ability to know, we can hear and follow in the absolute assurance that God knows us and anticipates our every need.