I had one of those Dads that took an interest in pretty much everything I did. It didn’t really matter what it was. Baseball. Basketball. That one horrible year of football. Wood working. Golf.  My dad may have been my biggest fan. I didn’t realize it at the time but I do now…I was lucky…extremely lucky! I coached little league for years where the dads didn’t show up. My Dad was always there. If he wasn’t coaching the team I was playing on, he was in the stands! By the time I reached high school age there were often many people in the stands. All cheering or shouting instructions…usually helpful and encouraging, usually! I remember distinctly at the age of 13 and the first time ever that Dad wasn’t coaching my baseball team, that of all the voices yelling instructions, including my coaches, it was Dad’s voice that rang out above them all. I began to tune out all of the other voices and hear one lone voice, Dad! His support! His instruction! His voice! That’s my Dad!

Fast forward to the first time I really studied the Gospel of John. Bible College. Rev. Ron Scharfe.  John chapter 10. It is Jesus explaining the Good Shepherd and his sheep. The Shepherd can go in the pen and his sheep will hear and obey his voice.  In those days, there several shepherds shared the same pen but the sheep only responded to their shepherd’s voice. I learned that that is actually true of sheep. They have been trained to distinguish his voice over all of the other voices. And it hit me. I knew exactly what Jesus meant. Suddenly I was back on the pitcher’s mound at 13 years of age and hearing my Dad talking me through how to pitch to the batter. His voice over all of the other voices. That’s my Dad!

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Jesus, John 10:27

How was I able to hear only my Dad’s voice? Years of listening to him. Years of building a relationship – Father/Son – Coach/Player.  I had heard my Dad so many times, on the field, in the backyard, on the car ride to and from the field. So many times that his voice was easily recognizable in the crowd.  It is no different with Jesus. Many say Jesus doesn’t talk to us these days – that you can’t hear his voice. But if you spend time in prayer, time in the Scripture, time taking thoughts captive, time paying attention to that mental nudge of the Spirit, all of this helps us develop the ability to hear his voice. But if I spent little or no time with my Dad, his would have just been one of the many voices rattling around in my head.

Jesus longs to have that kind of a relationship with his sheep. Those that he willingly died for – read all of John 10. It is a wonderful word picture of the love that God has for us. The desire that Jesus has to protect us, lead us, give us a life that is more abundant than we could imagine.  And there is no short cut to learning to hear his voice. It only comes through time spent with the Father. Times where we get away from all of the distraction, all of the noise, all of the good – but not best – things in this life. Get away alone with the Father. That’s my Dad!

Where do you go to listen to God? Where do you go to get rid of the distractions and learn to hear his voice? If you have that place, thank God for it! If you don’t have that place begin asking God for it and get there on a regular basis. Make those times of solitude with God a natural rhythm in your life. Because when the game is on the line, you only want to be hearing one voice! That’s my Dad!

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35

*picture not really my Dad, just some random shepherd leading his sheep!