I wouldn’t say I grew up in the boonies, but I could almost see the boonies from my house. Pennsylvania is pretty much known for Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, but there’s a whole lot of nothing filling up the rest of the Commonwealth.
The roads of our development were too small for a school bus to navigate, so the bus stop for our neighborhood was in the parking lot of a nearby church where the bus would be able to turn around. On inclement weather days, there would usually be a few different cars in the parking lot that we’d all pile into, and we’d listen to the radio to see if our school was closed.
Back when I was in middle school and high school people shared information differently. When there was bad weather during the winter, dial-up internet was the order of the day, and if there were websites for individual school districts, they weren’t updated daily. When all the families of the neighborhood wanted to find out if school was closed, having a delay, or operating on schedule, we tuned in to a couple of select radio stations.
One of the DJs we listened to went by the moniker “Gary in the Morning.” Gary’s radio station had a broad listening area, so if there were a lot of school districts affected, his lists could take awhile. First he’d read the alphabetical list of one-hour delays. Then he’d go through the schools operating on a two-hour delay. Finally he’d go through the list of schools that were closed that day. If our school wasn’t on any of the lists, it meant we were running on a normal schedule. (And if it wasn’t on any of the lists, we sat there in disbelief, arguing that there had to be some mistake…until the school bus showed up.) At any rate, we were all familiar with Gary in the Morning’s voice.
Due to the lack of dentists in the semi-boonies, sometimes it was necessary to drive a bit to get to one. For awhile, I went to a dentist whose office was very near the radio station where Gary in the Morning worked. I think I was vaguely aware that the station was nearby, but wouldn’t have even recognized him if he came in and sat down next to me in the waiting room.
There was one day at the dentist, however, where I didn’t need to see him. I was lying in the dentist’s chair, with the dentist doing his thing and the bright light in my face, when I heard a familiar voice talking to the receptionist out front. “No, it couldn’t be…” He kept talking, though, and yeah, that sounded just like Gary. Like a total buffoon, with dentist fingers and tools still in my mouth, I mumbled “Is that Gary in the Morning?”
The dentist, fluent in understanding people with this speech condition, came back with “It sure is! You want to meet him?” I don’t remember what I said, but the dentist gave a shout out to the front, and it wasn’t long before Gary came walking into the area where I was having my teeth cleaned. I was at an obvious disadvantage, but Gary was very nice. He shook my hand and told me I had beautiful teeth, which probably wasn’t true but what else are you going to say to a total stranger who’s in the dentist’s chair and is excited to meet you? I don’t remember what he looked like, but it was a fun little interaction with a local celebrity.
In the New Testament book of John, chapter 10 spends a lot of time covering Jesus’ description of himself as the “good shepherd.” Back in those days it was common to have flocks spend the night in pens, so they’d be easier to consolidate, keep track of, and protect from predators overnight. In the mornings when it was time to get them out of the pen, contrary to the methods of western shepherds, the shepherds of bible times did not drive their sheep, but instead called them out of the pen.
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice. –John 10:3-5
For this method to work, the sheep have to be familiar with the shepherd’s voice. The shepherd is talking quite often, but the sheep need to be listening to the voice, tuning in and becoming familiar with the voice of the one they trust. We (Christ-followers), of course, are the sheep, and Christ is the Shepherd. He’s ever calling us, and is always aware of where we are, and the dangers we face, even if we’re oblivious to them.
Spending time in the Bible and in prayer, dwelling on the things of God, and avoiding things we know to be detrimental to our Christian walk are all ways we become more familiar with our Shepherd’s voice. He doesn’t shout; He calls. There are plenty of ways His voice can be drowned out, so we need to be listening for it.
Let’s be sure to pay attention to the Lord’s voice. His sheep are familiar with it, and will follow it even when things don’t quite make sense. Trusting the Shepherd enables us to simplify the conflicting things our own senses are telling us, and leads to the safety He’s got in mind.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
-Psalm 23