Ps. 20-22
I love Ps 20:7-8. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.” Nothing is mightier than our God – how awesome is that!!
Psalm 22, of course, is one of the most prominent instances of David’s involvement in Messianic prophecy,. Some of this prophecy is quite detailed. Verse 18 says, “They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” John 19:23-24 points out the fulfillment of this prophecy, explaining that they divided Jesus garments into four parts, but cast lots for the one-piece tunic. Pretty specific, eh?
John 10:1-21
I often struggle with the uncertainty of whether or not it is God telling me to do something or just the voice in my own head. How do I know if I am really being led by God? But this passage holds the key. John 10:3b-5 says, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they well flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
There are several YouTube videos of sheep responding to their master’s voice, and a few of them are pretty cool. I was trying to find one that had several inter-mingled herds that got sorted out by voice, but I couldn’t find that one. In any case, if I am truly one of God’s sheep, then I will know His voice. But in order to really be God’s sheep, I need to get to know my Shepherd. I need to spend time in His care. As sheep come to know by whose hand they are fed, they will also come to understand by whose voice they are led. Spending time talking to God through prayer and listening to Him in His word and learning to recognize His hand in my day-to-day life is how I will know whose voice is in my head. Then it is up to me to choose to be obedient or not.