One of my favorite photos from my wedding is taken from behind me and is a candid shot of my friend smiling at me. Just from the way she’s smiling, you can tell I’m smiling back and so excited. Isn’t it the best when know someone so well that a look or a smile can tell you just what someone’s feeling? 

We’re wired to be known by others. That’s why we’re created for relationships. When Christmas or birthdays roll around, our thoughts often center around what we know about someone and what we think they’d like. When we open gifts, the ones that mean the most are the ones we exclaim, “You know me so well!” about. We rejoice in the fact of being known by the giver of the gift more than we rejoice in the gift itself.  

God is the ultimate Giver. He not only gives us good things (James 1:17), but He is the Good! God knows us so deeply and so well that He knows every time we go out and lie down. Sometimes we can’t even keep track of those things, but God holds each detail because He knows and cares about us. We can join David in saying that God’s intimate knowledge of us is “too wonderful” for our brains to understand. 

This incredible knowledge invites us to action. In John 10:27-28 Jesus proclaims, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Jesus’ personal knowledge of the sheep (us, by God’s grace!) leads the sheep to listen, follow, and receive. The sheep had to be still and quiet in order to listen. Then, they had to take what they heard and act on it by literally following the shepherd wherever he went, even if it meant leaving their comfy pasture and lake. They don’t know where the next food or resting stop would be, but they followed. Last, sheep receive. Sheep don’t exactly have a reputation for being the smartest animals, and they need all the help they can get. They receive shelter, food, comfort, protection, love, and companionship from the shepherd. They aren’t trying to pay the shepherd back—they know they can’t—but they evidence their gratitude through getting to know the voice of the shepherd and unequivocally following that voice. 

Jesus, our Great Shepherd, invites us to be known by Him. As we sit at His feet, we get to know Him better and hear His voice in a crowded world. Let’s listen to His voice today and joyfully follow.