Top Notch Listening!

          Erik Weihenmayer is blind from a degenerative eye disease, yet on May 25, 2001 he scaled the peak of deadly Mt. Everest.  Erik’s success on this treacherous ascent came because he listened well.  He cued in on the little bell tied to the back of the climber in front of him so he would know what direction to go.  He listened to the voice of teammates who would shout back to him, “Death fall two feet to your right!” so he would know what direction not to go.  He listened to the sound of his pick jabbing the ice, so he would know whether the ice was safe to cross. 
          Question: are you facing a perilous climb in life?  Make sure you keep your attention on the voice of the Lord.  Take your cues from the Holy Spirit and from His Holy Word to avoid the death drops that are up ahead.  In walking with Jesus, what you hear is what you will finally get.  You can count on Him to guide you safely over the path of life.  When you are with a person a lot, his voice becomes very familiar.  And that’s the way it is with Jesus Christ.  He said, “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). 
          By spending quality time with the Lord we undoubtedly know His voice.  H. V. Morton tells of a scene that he saw in a cave near Bethlehem.  Two shepherds had sheltered their flocks in the cave during the night.  How were the flocks sorted out the next morning?  One of the shepherds stood some distance away and gave his peculiar call which only his sheep knew and soon his whole flock had run to him. They knew his voice.  The sheep would have responded to no one else.  The voice of their shepherd was assuring. 
          An 18th century traveler actually tells how Palestinian sheep can be made to dance, fast or slow, to the peculiar whistle or the unique tune on the flute of their own shepherd.  And in the same way, we have to listen intently to the Great Shepherd’s voice if we care about where we are headed.  He sees and knows what we do not see and know.  He cares that we reach our destination and He does everything He can to get us to the top. 
          Erik climbed Mt. Everest because he listened very closely to his leader.  He depended upon his leader’s eyes and ears to get him there.  We are surrounded with many confusing voices and sounds today, but we must learn how to pick out the voice of our master while tuning out the others.  Christ cares about our safety and success more than anyone.  We are always on His mind. But the key question is: is He always on our mind? 
          I’m sure that Erik had his mind on his leader all the way to the top of the mountain; because, he was depending on him.  Even after David became king over Israel, he depended on God to lead him.  His signature Psalm tells it all: “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.”  He cued in on the Lord.   For more info visit us online at www.JoyChristianMinistries.com