John 10:27
“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 can snatch them out of My hand.”
Today is the 23rd Anniversary of 9/11, a day that those of us who witnessed the unbelievable horror shall never forget. The images are forever etched in our memories and for good reason. We must not ever allow those memories to be erased, minimized, or dismissed. A sense many of us had was that our country would never be the same. And I believe that has been borne out over the years. There were thousands of innocent victims, and among them hundreds of extraordinary heroes. Scores of first-hand accounts of how God moved to save lives on that day have been recorded, and the following is one of them.
In the aftermath of that September day, there were many survivor stories including an account from a man caught on an upper floor of one of the Twin Towers. He gasped for air as dangerous smoke began to gather around him. The businessman quickly sized up his options for escape. He figured at that point there were just two choices—the stairs or the elevator. Most of us are familiar with standard emergency instructions that say never use an elevator in a burning building. Time was running out. Sensing his desperate situation, he cried out to the Lord for guidance. “Take the elevator” came the still, small voice. “No, that can’t be from the Lord,” he thought, that doesn’t make sense. Again he heard, “Take the elevator.” At the crucial moment, the man obeyed the voice and stepped onto the elevator that lowered him to where he was able to take the next bank of stairs down to safety. Before he started his descent, he glanced up to see that the stairs leading up, from where he had come, were engulfed in flames. Hearing and obeying The Shepherd’s voice saved his life that day.
What can we learn from this? Through the ages, shepherds that tend their sheep are extremely hard-working, spending most of their days with the flocks. The sheep under their care get to know the shepherd and depend on him for feeding, guiding, and shielding them from harm. They are able to recognize the sound of their shepherd’s voice and respond only to him.
When visiting England, on occasion we’ve stopped along the road in hopes of getting a close-up photo of sheep that have gathered along a fence. Invariably, at the sound of my voice, they turn tail and run. I am not their shepherd! But I do know Who my Shepherd is—He feeds me from His Word, He guides me by His Word, the shield around me is His Word. He often speaks to my heart with His still, small voice. Jesus knows us by name. If Jesus spoke to your heart to alert you to danger, would you recognize the voice of the Shepherd?
Dear Father, what a comfort it is to know that Jesus knows us by name and that our name was on His mind when He died on the cross. Hallelujah! May we listen for His voice daily, from the wee morning hours to the darkest of nights. Shepherd, lead us, we pray. In Your name. Amen.
~ painting by Nathan Greene
