Reflections on Bible verses



John 10:3
The sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd.
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.


When God Whispers Your Name


WHEN I SEE a flock of sheep I see exactly that, a flock.
A rabble of wool. A herd of hooves.
I don’t see a sheep. I see sheep. All alike.
None different. That’s what I see.

But not so with the shepherd. To him every sheep is different.
Every face is special.
Every face has a story.
And every sheep has a name.
The one with the sad eyes, that’s Droopy.
And the fellow with one ear up and the other down, I call him Oscar.
And the small one with the black patch on his leg,
he’s an orphan with no brothers. I call him Joseph.

The shepherd knows his sheep. He calls them by name.





When we see a crowd, we see exactly that, a crowd.
Filling a stadium or flooding a mall.
When we see a crowd, we see people, not persons, but people.
A herd of humans. A flock of faces. That’s what we see.

But not so with the Shepherd. To him every face is different.
Every face is a story.
Every face is a child.
Every child has a name.
The one with the sad eyes, that’s Sally.
The old fellow with one eyebrow up and the other down, Harry’s his name.
And the young one with the limp?
He’s an orphan with no brothers. I call him Joey.

The Shepherd knows his sheep.
He knows each one by name.
The Shepherd knows you.
He knows your name. And he will never forget it.
I have written your name on my hand.
(Isaiah 49:16)

Quite a thought, isn’t it?
Your name on God’s hand.
Your name on God’s lips.

Maybe you’ve seen your name in some special places.
On an award or diploma or walnut door.
Or maybe you’ve heard your name from some important people
—a coach, a celebrity, a teacher.

But to think that your name is on God’s hand and on God’s lips . . .
my ... could it be?

Or perhaps you’ve never seen your name honored.
And you can’t remember when you heard it spoken with kindness.
If so, it may be more difficult for you to believe that God knows your name.

But he does.
Written on his hand.
Spoken by his mouth.
Whispered by his lips.
Your name.
And not only the name you now have,
but the name he has in store for you.
A new name he will give you . . .

Max Lucado

From When God Whispers Your Name
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1999) Max Lucado






Eternal Creatures


We are eternal creatures.
We ask eternal questions.
Where did I come from?
Where am I going?
Is there life after death?
These are the primal questions of the soul.
And if left unanswered, such questions steal our rest.

Only one other living creature has as much trouble resting as we do.
Not dogs…they doze. Cats invented the catnap.
Most animals know how to rest—with one exception.
These creatures are woolly, simpleminded, and slow.
Sheep! Sheep can’t sleep.
For them to do so everything must be just right.
No tension in the flock…no hunger in the belly…everything has to be just so.
Unfortunately sheep cannot find safe pasture or find food. They need help.
They need a shepherd to lead them, and help them to lie down in green pastures.
Without a shepherd they can’t rest.
Without a Shepherd, neither can we!

Max Lucado
From Traveling Light