The Voice of God

Children can be humorous creatures. They can also be treacherous, back-stabbing, tattle-tales. Just the other day in one of my younger classes there was a moment during instruction when one of my delightful, little students decided to make a sudden, though brief, outburst. The incident was not surprising. However, the response of the other students did catch my attention. One of the students in particular felt the need to immediately point at the offender either to assist in the investigation or to avoid any accusations in his direction. I gently informed my finger flinging friend that it wasn't his job to point fingers, and that I have very good hearing and knew exactly who had created the sudden din. Then I turned to the entire class and--so as to inspire a healthy, though not dangerous, fear--said, "as a music teacher I have very good hearing."
As if other teachers aren't scary enough with eyes in the backs of their heads, music teachers are even more terrifying. When standing with their back to the class, they can not only tell when something is afoot, they can also tell who is involved, what they are planning, whether or not they have a cold, what pitch they are speaking, and how much milk they had on their cereal for breakfast. Yes, there is a difference between cold-voice and dairy-voice. Fear the ears.
Of course I understand that there are a great many people beyond music teachers who have impressive hearing abilities. It is incredible the way God made our aural systems to differentiate and identify sounds. How many of you even need caller ID when a friend or family member calls? I mean to identify them, not screen them. That's another issue entirely that you should probably stop avoiding.
Our ears can enjoy our favorite songs. They can pick voices out of a crowd. They can differentiate frequencies. They can detect a vibrating phone in luggage on the third night of camp when campers were supposed to turn in their phones on the first day. (It was his mom calling. Parents, we call that enabling. Unless you're doing it to get them caught. In that case we call it team work!)
Even with all the voices my brain has heard and catalogued over the years it is still capable of differentiating and identifying a crazy number of voices. (Now if I could just remember their names.) But one area in which my ears don't seem to be much help is identifying the voice of God.
When Jesus was describing his relationship to his disciples in the Gospel of John (chapter 10) he said that he was the good shepherd and they were the sheep. Once you get past the sting of realizing just how stupid sheep are, you realize that the comparison is rather fitting. The good shepherd looks after and takes care of the sheep even when things get dangerous; even when the sheep wander off into foolish situations...again...for the hundredth time. The good shepherd is always there, and will always fight for the good of his sheep. More than that, Jesus tells us that the good shepherd knows each of the sheep by name (why shepherds were naming each of their sheep back then, I don't know), and that the sheep know his voice.
My understanding is that in those days it was not uncommon for shepherds to use a community sheep pen at night so that the sheep wouldn't wander off and the shepherds could help each other keep watch and protect the sheep. Just imagine what it would be like in the morning to have to sort out the various flocks. I would think it could take all morning if it weren't for the ability of sheep to identify their shepherd's voice. Every morning the shepherd would call, and his sheep would hear and follow him to green pastures and calm waters. "When he has brought out all his own," Jesus says, "he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice."
What a beautiful picture! There is only one problem. As finely tuned as my ears are, I have never heard the physical voice of God. It's all fine and dandy for the sheep to hear a shepherd, but how are we supposed to hear and know the voice of God? The question was recently put to me in these terms, "How are we supposed to differentiate the voice of God from the voice of the world around us?" This is a crucial question, because Jesus goes on to explain that there are other players at work than just the shepherd and the sheep. There is a thief. He comes with one trifold purpose: steal, kill, and destroy. If we aren't listening to the good shepherd, then we are following the thief. So how can we tell the difference?
The entire situation can become paralyzingly frightening, but don't fear. It is not as impossible as the enemy wants us to think. Jesus has already assured us that the sheep know his voice, and the shepherd knows the sheep. God knows each and every one of us intimately. He knows how best to communicate with each of us. To make things even more clear, He has given us His own words in the scriptures, the Bible. If you're not sure which voice is His, then read what He has written. His voice and his heart fill the text. With all the voices vying for our attention in this world it can be easy to tune out God's voice. So what if we spent more time reading the Bible than we do reading the news (or facebook, twitter, reddit, pinterest, etc.)?
But why stop there. God is not an impersonal god who can only be heard through written text. Like the bleating sheep who is lost and trapped, we can call out to God, and he hears us. The best way I have discovered to get to know someone's voice is by spending time with them and talking with them. God tells us time and again to come to Him with anything and everything that weighs on our hearts and minds. Bring Him your cares and concerns, and bring Him your joys and thanksgiving. Then, as in any conversation, we need to quiet ourselves and listen. I don't know about you, but that can be the hardest part for me. I still want to do it, because I want to be sure I hear Him when He has something to say. 
We may not be able to hear God with our ears, but we can rest assured knowing that we do not worship a silent God. Our God is not a mute idol or a cold text. Ours is the God who spoke creation into existence. His words formed the mountains, the oceans, and the stars. And He is still speaking today. He is the good shepherd, and the sheep know His voice, and follow Him.