Knowing the voice

Don’t ya just hate it when someone calls you on the phone and you can’t for the life of you figure out who it is?  You just sorta go along with the conversation hoping for some identifiable bit of information so you can place this voice before your ignorance is revealed.  Oh, the nasty feeling you get in your stomach as the mystery caller asks something that is going to reveal that you have no idea who you are talking to!  You can go one of two ways at this point in the conversation: 1.  Admit you have no idea who you are talking to…. this can sometimes be quite embarrassing but if you put a silly spin on it--“I’m sorry, I am doing laundry and it is very loud here with the kids acting so crazy… I can’t hear all that well, who is this?”--you may just get away with a laugh and a reveal.2. Guess and hope….. when the question is asked, guess at the answer and hope that it will work!  This can either save you from the embarrassment of the caller finding out you do not know who you have been talking to, or it will reveal your secret in an even more embarrassing way… BUSTED!  In an effort to not cause my friends discomfort... I usually reveal who I am when I am calling someone.  There are a few really close friends I do not have to tell, however.  Why can these friends always recognize my voice?  Whose voices can you recognize without a proper introduction on the phone?  The people who never have to tell me who they are, are the people I talk to very, very often…. or the people I have known for a very, very long time.  When I speak to the same person every day for a year…. I do not need them to tell me who they are each and every day when they call.  In the same way, although I do not talk to my brother every day… or even every month ... when he does call me, he does not have to identify himself.  His voice is etched in my memory.  His voice needs no introduction.  I KNOW him well.  We have spent years addressing each other and all the different vocal qualities he has are well known to me.  There are friends I know pretty well and see fairly often….but I would not know their voice in the split second of a “hello” on a phone if I was not expecting their call.  It is really only the people I know VERY well or call VERY often that I can be assured I will recognize from the first syllable out of their mouth. 

I want that kind of recognition for my Lord’s voice.  I want to know his voice every time from the very first syllable!  In John 10 Jesus says that the sheep follow the good shepherd because they know his voice.  If I assume that the way to hear God’s voice and recognize it goes by the same principles that I mentioned above… then I can assume the best way to know God’s voice is to hear it VERY often and know it VERY well.  Time spent with God is the way to know his voice.  Years of knowing my Lord will bring quick recognition, as with my brother.  Daily conversations with my Lord will bring quick recognition, as with the friends I talk to on the phone every day.  Time in God’s word reveals who He is. Time listening to His voice helps me to hear His voice above all the other voices in this world. I hope I am getting to know His voice better and better every day…. it’s a process.