I was a youth leader for many years after college. One year, we took our youth group on an “adventure” trip to West Virginia where we hiked, rock climbed, went white water rafting, and explored caves. During one of our cave explorations, our group was following a guide who knew the cave well. He led us through many different openings within the cave as we crawled and squeezed our way through tight passages. At one point during our exploration, I realized the girl I was walking behind was no longer following the group in front of her. She and I had managed to find ourselves separated from the group as we took a wrong turn and ended up in a different part of the cave. At that moment, I could feel the panic and anxiety begin to creep up in the pit of my stomach. I had no idea where we were or how to find our way out. 

Suddenly, I heard a voice. It was the voice of our guide. He had realized we were missing from the group and began to call out for us. As he called out for us, he told us to listen and follow the sound of his voice. We carefully listened and began walking in the direction of his voice until we were safely back with our group. 

In John 10:27, Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Jesus’ voice is the only voice that will lead us to peace and safety. There are many voices today that are masquerading as truth, but only the voice of Jesus will calm the storm and bring peace to every area of our lives. 

I once heard a story of how shepherds teach their sheep to know their voice. When the sheep are just young lambs, the shepherds will hold them and sing to them. As the shepherds sing over their lambs, they come to recognize and know his voice. Afterward, when the shepherd calls to them while they are out in the field, they will come running at the sound of their shepherd’s voice. 

May we spend time with Jesus, learning to hear and recognize His voice, so that when we feel lost and alone, all we will have to do is follow His voice back to a place of peace and rest. He is the Good Shepherd and His voice leads us beside quiet waters. His voice restores our soul.