Hearing God’s Voice: A Tiger or a Lamb?

"Let's play the guessing game," my sweet boy pleaded the minute the car door closed.
Okay, guess what I’m thinking of.
“Is it a living thing?”
Yes!

I invited my four-year old grandson shopping with me this afternoon, just for the fun of it. What a great time I have with him! Between twenty-one questions, finding license plates or singing songs, there’s never a dull moment with that boy.

“Give me a clue,” he pleaded.
It has yellow stripes, I offered. Pause.
It starts with a J and ends with a D. Was I giving too much away?
He looked at his ski jacket colors. “Is it Judah?” he was so excited.
YES!
“But Nana, my name doesn’t end with a D.”
Well, you’re right. I was using your initials, I explained. Does anyone ever call you JD?
“Yeah, my Dad,” he said.
What else does he call you?
“Sometimes he calls me tiger!”
Wow, is that when you’re doing something great or strong?
“Yeah. Or he calls me Budders.”
When does he do that, when he’s tucking you into bed?
“Nope. When he calls me to do something.”
Oh, that makes sense. What else does he call you?
“Judah… or sometimes he says Judah Vaughn,” adding his middle name.

We have a lot of names, don't we? Then we went on to talk about how God knows everything about us. Not only does he know the easy thing, like the names we have and all the different things we do, but he even knows the hard stuff, like the number of hairs we have on our heads. We don't know even how much hair we have--there’s just too many to count! We marveled at the details that God knows about us.

“God knows EVERYTHING!” he hollered from the back seat.

I wonder what name GOD calls us? I asked.

Without missing a beat he said, “SHEEP!”

Isn’t he precious? I laughed pretty hard at that refreshing simplicity. So which one are you? A yellow striped tiger or a lamb?

The easiest answer is both. Dad calls him tiger and God calls him sheep. I've even called him lamby at times.

For a split second, this made me wonder about the different faces of God that people see. Some probably see Him as a fierce tiger and others may see Him as a gentle lamb. He also has many names and different faces. He is also both.

You're right honey. God calls us his sheep, our conversation continued, and the Good Shepherd calls his sheep by name. You know what else? Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice," too.

That’s when he got quiet. I peeked in the rear view mirror. In all seriousness, Judah said, “Nana. I’m confused. I asked God to talk to me one time, and he didn’t.” He looked so concerned, almost distraught about it.

I remembered teaching him the story of young Samuel. You don’t have to worry about that, sweetheart. When God has something to say to you, he’ll know the perfect way that you’ll understand. He might even just have your Dad and Mom tell you what you need to know for right now. The most important thing is that you obey what you already know. There’s no point in the Lord talking to us if we’re not going to do what he tells us, huh?

My little darling bit his lips and nodded. The serious expression made him look older. Honestly, this dear child was grappling with one of the heaviest concepts there is for any Christian. Where do I stand in relation to the Lord? Am I living in obedience? What would He say right now?

There are easy questions and there are hard ones, but if we were going to play twenty-one questions with the Lord, I wonder if he would start with this one: Where are you on obedience, sweetie?

Isn’t it precious that this four-year old is already desiring to hear God’s voice? Then, as always happens after telling him these things with such certainty, I was challenged. That’s the natural ricochet reaction whenever you teach, isn’t it. I came away yearning to hear Him more myself.


A couple weeks ago we marked the first anniversary of Frank’s death and with that, I relived the crucial, life-changing moments. Oh, how powerfully God spoke to my heart through a little yellow pot of daffodil bulbs! I wish I had such clear conversation, such mountaintop clarity, more often in my life. How long has it been since God spoke to me so powerfully and so vividly? His voice, as gentle as a lamb, as tender as a lover.

For me, that was a burning bush experience and there is nothing I yearn for as much as that. What an incredible God! Oh, there are words, phrases, and lots of nudges from the Sheperd's staff, and I don't mean to minimalize any of them. But even after God promised his presence and rest, Moses begged, God, show me your glory! (Ex 33). Think about it, they were talking face to face and he hungered for more.


When we read about Abraham, Moses and all the prophets, it seems like God was talking a blue streak to these guys from morning til night! The reality is that many years passed between the Red Sea and the mighty visions in the lives of these great leaders. Decades have been compressed into paragraphs, centuries into chapters.

There’s a huge difference between the Mt. Carmel exhibit and the small still voice in the desert cave, too. God meets us in a variety of ways and always, always, provides exactly what we need.


There's no doubt, even one minute with Him is worth more than all this world has to offer--that is, if you know Him as your Father. If he is still a fearsome tiger to you, than you must meet him. The tiger truly is a lamb and we are only truly safe when we are close to Him.

I hope my writings introduce you to the Lamb of God, Jesus, who loved you so much that he proved it on the wooden cross we call Calvary.



Oh God, I yearn to hear you and to feel your presence in my life more! I want to be more attuned to you, ready to follow, and quick to respond.

Lord, be nearer to me. Fill the empty places with more of yourself and help me stay close to you. Close enough to hear your voice, Good Shepherd.
Amen.

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