(Through the Gate) You Hear the Voice You Love and Know
You need not go somewhere else to find me. You don’t have to run away, your mind conjuring images of the two of us together. For I am here. Right here. And my love for you is the foundation for your love for me. Let it come in. Let me come in.
Consider the steps toward quieting your heart now: Breathe deeply, breathe easily, and breathe slowly.
Slow, slow, slow.
In a quiet place where you can be still and uninterrupted, position your body so you are comfortable and at ease.
Relax. Lean your back against something firm and soft. Inhale air through your nose and out through your mouth.
Close your eyes, hands open on your lap.
Continue to concentrate on your breath for a few moments.
Inhale for a count of four….and exhale for a count of four. And while you breathe, consecrate your mind and heart–your ideas and imagination, your fears and questions.
Lord, I bring myself under your authority. I give you my mind and my heart. I give you every fear and worry, every concern and pain: (name each one now.) I am your beloved. You are my King, my safe place, my strength, my protector, my redeemer, my rock and hope and friend,
Invite in Holy Spirit and, together, listen to Jesus speak these words (John 10: 1-14) into your heart. Listen now….hear his voice speaking to you. Read the verses below a few times:
Read the verses silently and slowly, picturing the scene and considering the context.
Read them a second time out loud and hear Jesus’ voice in your own. (How do you feel when you listen to the words? What is your heart recognizing as you listen?)
Read the verses a third time, paying special attention to what Holy Spirit is speaking, personally, to you.
In your journal, write the conversation between you and Holy Spirit as you encounter Jesus’ words.
John 10:1-14, NIV
10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Next, on a fresh page in your journal, perhaps while listening to soft instrumental music in the background, stay in this posture of surrender and write–or illustrate–a list of ways that Jesus is caring for you:
Perhaps, through words and/or illustrations, represent the ways you hear His voice as he (your shepherd) lovingly guides you and cares for you.
What is your shepherd singing? (What is the song?)
Is he laughing? (How does his laugh sound?)
Is he playful, or is he serious? (How does he look at you while he speaks?)
Finally, consider how, in your contemplation of these scripture verses, Jesus, the shepherd, is engaging you personally. In what specific ways do you feel loved by him right now? Tell him what you think of him. And listen as he tells you how he loves you so.
Stay here.
Stay.
Don’t rush.
Amen.
