“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27, NKJV)
When my son served in the Marines, we didn’t have a lot of opportunities to visit him on base and see him in a military setting. But the times we did made an impact. One time in particular was seeing him off on deployment.
After all the men had been issued their rifles, we spent time in a big parking lot as they waited for the buses to arrive. The scene before me was nothing but bedlam and confusion. There were families and loved ones vying for a final moment together, as well as people scurrying about on last-minute errands.
As I was talking to my son, he cocked his head mid-sentence and turned. Before I could process what was happening, He was moving away from us, calling out that he’d be back shortly.
I looked around and saw all the men leaving family and friends and lining up in formation several yards away.
I hadn’t heard the call of their commander, but they had.
Those soldiers were so tuned into their leader, their response was almost instantaneous when called. Watching them, I reflected on how vital it was that they responded like that. After all, soldiers could hardly be effective apart from their commander.
But we’re part of force as well. We belong to God, and He is our Commander. As believers, we must constantly keep an ear tuned to God, ready at a moment’s notice to hear and obey His commands.