I recently sent an e-mail out to friends about the World Race, H Squad, Beautiful Broken and prayer requests. This is an excerpt from the e-mail:
Pray, pray, pray: “You’ve got to pray, just to make it today!” Prayer is our greatest ally against the enemy! Satan wants to steal, kill and destroy, while Jesus has opened His arms to welcome us into His family, under His protection!
John 10: 7 – 18: 7Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.aThey will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
The next day, I received this response from a friend and prayer warrior:
Hi Tina
These verses you shared with us are so special–thank you!
Yesterday, I was in the toddler nursery and at the end of the second bell, the nursery workers began to anticipate the coming of the parents to pick up their children. But the children didn’t have a clue the time was immanent, they just went on playing. Then the first parent came to the window and the nursery worker adult went to the cubbies got the diaper bag and brought it to the parent… the parent began to talk to the nursery worker and within a second, their child came running to the door–arms open wide, wanting to be taken into father’s arms and taken home–none of the other children responded, they just kept on playing. That child heard their own father’s voice, knew his voice and ran to his arms.
Then the next set of parents came, their child heard their voice and the same scenario again. We nursery volunteers didn’t even need to guess which child went with which parent. As I sat and rocked the last child left, the verses you quoted below rang in my heart and mind. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, they know Me and they follow Me!” ….amazing… I saw that yesterday in the nursery with the little ones and how true it us for us–God’s own.
Listen, Tina, for His words of encouragement, comfort, conviction, love and direction…He loves you and He will speak and help you every step of the Way.
I shared this with you to encourage you, that the more you read His Word, the Bible, the more you talk with Him, the more you praise Him, the more you listen for His leading, the Lord will lead you, you will hear His voice, you will have a stronger relationship with the Good Shepard! My friend’s response to my e-mail validated the prompting I felt to type those verses and write that e-mail and send it out. What do you feel Jesus prompting you to do today?
When I asked my friend if I could share her story with you, this was her response:
Dear Tina,
Yes, you may absolutely share it. The Lord was showing me these things in the nursery, then when your email came the very next day, with the same thoughts from Scripture, well—it was such a blessing.
Of course we know The Lord speaks to us, but I would say that there is much static and competing noise in our lives. However the nursery was loud and noisy–it was the responsiveness to the one special voice that made it so amazing and special. It seemed the children’s quick responsiveness was rooted in love.
I hope that this encourages you today!
