hello?...hello? can you hear me now??

In John 10:3-4, it says, "To him the dookkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and his sheep will follow him, for they know his voice."
There is comfort in knowing the voice of your shepherd and knowing that your shepherd goes before you. Jesus talked a lot about sheep and sheep were a common metaphor used in the Bible. For many knowing the voice of their shepherd is a hard thing. There are so many distractions in our daily lives today. We are uncomfortable with being quiet. Even in simple conversations, quiet and pauses are annoying and we fill them with idle chatter. Everywhere I go, I see people walking around with earphones connected to Ipods and cellphones plugged into their ears. I am no different than many other people in that I am guilty and at times of being unable to keep quiet. I play the radio in the car almost always and it sometimes is as "muzak" we hear in elevators. I try to be quiet and listen when I pray and when I read the Bible. God does speak to me and I do know my shepherds voice. It is always amazing to me the nature of how God does speak to us. It is always as someone who really loves me and wants the best from me in all things I do and to protect me from danger. But, that is the sole job of the shepherd; to care for the sheep. You see, sheep, as a rule aren't too smart, aren't too fast, easily misled and have a poor sense of direction. Therefore, they are quite vulnerable to be led astray by predators. Predators know if they can separate one from the herd. Then, once separated it's without the protection of the shepherd. Jesus knew this all too well. This is what He meant in Luke 15:4-7, when He said,
" What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner that repents than over ninety nine just persons who need no repentance."
What an awesome thing Jesus said when He said " I am the good shepherd...I lay down my life for the sheep." Do you hear the voice of your shepherd ? Or, it your life too noisy and full of the "static" of the world. It is a critical time to seek His voice. Just be still and listen...