Intimacy

Jesus says, “I know my sheep, and they hear my voice.” He is speaking about the intimacy of our relationship with God. I believe that when many people think about who God is for them, they envision a Being out there or up there, whom they can connect with and pray to on occasion; or a Being who rewards and punishes; or perhaps a Being who makes the rules of conduct that we’re expected to follow, or some variation of these.

Jesus presents us with a very different image of who he is and who the Father is. Perhaps that’s why God became one of us, to let us know this, that God is not only out there, but also in here.

The sheep know the voice of the shepherd. When I imagine the voice of Jesus, I hear it as gentle and reassuring. Jesus gives us a message about who he is and what he wants.

In effect, he says to us here, “I know you, and you can be yourself with me, and I can be myself with you. I totally understand who you are, and I want you in this flock with me.” How freeing is that—that we can be completely ourselves with God and feel totally embraced and accepted, faults and all!

“For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)