The Good Shepherd (Pilot)

John 10:3-4 – The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. (NIV)

During a recent holiday throughout Alaska, we were travelling from Chicken to Eagle on the Taylor Highway. In order to do this, we needed to have a pilot vehicle to go ahead of us. The Taylor Highway is really a dirt road that winds itself through some pretty spectacular terrain, and the highway is only one lane in many places. Our pilot vehicle warned other travellers that there were two buses coming and warned our bus driver on his two-way radio whenever we were coming to another car or cars. Travelling this way for miles, I thought about our Christian journey through life and how God goes before us and is always with us. Like the Good Shepherd described in today's Scripture verses, who goes ahead of his sheep and whose sheep follow him because they know his voice, we travelled along, knowing that the pilot vehicle would tell us of any dangers ahead.

If our bus driver had had his radio turned off or if he were so busy telling us a story about the area that he didn't hear the pilot vehicle's message, then he would not have slowed down enough or been prepared when he approached a vehicle around the next bend. In the same way, we need to fine tune our hearing to God's voice each day as we follow Him through our day.

Prayer: Loving and gracious God, we thank You that You are always with us and that You go ahead of us in the journey of our lives. Help us to hear Your voice, so we will know what to do in the name of Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

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