THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

November 9, 2022

LIFE IN THE FOLD

I have always wanted to be able to whistle, and have tried many times throughout the years, but have never been able to do it.

I have a brother-in-law who knew how to do different types of whistles. He could do one where he would bring his fingers up to his lips and whistle, which was exceptionally loud. When his kids were young, they would be playing with friends in their neighborhood. My brother-in-law would go outside and whistle when it was time for dinner or they needed to come home, and his kids would hear it and recognize that it was their dad and head home.

Did you know that God can whistle? It's in the Bible! And His whistle will be heard all over the earth. A group from my church has begun reading Isaiah and I loved it when I read these scriptures.

Isaiah 5:26: "He [God] will send a signal to distant nations far away and whistle to those at the end of the earth. They will come racing toward Jerusalem."

Isaiah 7:18: "In that day the Lord will whistle for the army of southern Egypt and for the army of Assyria. They will swarm around you like flies and bees."

God's whistle will be heard by nations all over the world, and it will be their signal to come running to Jerusalem. Can you imagine the powerful sound of His whistle?! God's whistle is loud enough to call armies together. He is the ultimate commander in chief and soldiers will hear and recognize that whistle and know what it means.

But my favorite scripture about God whistling is found in Zechariah chapter ten. This chapter is about the Lord restoring His people. Beginning in verse 6: "I will strengthen Judah and save Israel; I will restore them because of my compassion. It will be as though I have never rejected them, for I am the Lord their God, who will hear their cries. (7) The people of Israel will become like mighty warriors, and their hearts will be made happy as if by wine. Their children, too, will see it and be glad; their hearts will rejoice in the Lord. (8) When I whistle to them, they will come running, for I have redeemed them. For the few who are left, they will grow as numerous as they were before."

I read something interesting: On La Gomera, which is one of the smallest of the Canary Islands, there is a language that sounds like bird song that is being revived. This island is fill with deep valleys and steep ravines, and people are learning how whistling was once used to communicate for up to 2 miles. There is a goat herder who is using this ancient language to communicate with his flock and said that they recognize his whistle as they recognize his voice.

John 10:27 says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." Jesus is the shepherd and we are His sheep. Sheep don't understand words, but they know the sound of their shepherd's voice and presence among their flock.

Perhaps this is what the prophet, Zechariah, had in mind when he wrote about God one day whistling to bring His wandering and scattered people back to Himself.

In this world, we all have many things that are vying for our attention. Sometimes the noises of those distractions can seem loud and as if they are blocking out the voice of the Shepherd. But God has a way of getting our attention and signaling us, even without words.

Just as a father can whistle to get the attention of his children to signal that it's time to come home, our Heavenly Father can whistle to us to get our attention and signal us that it's time for us to come back to His fold.... to come home. When He does, His whistle will be distinctive and we will recognize it as belonging to our Father.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

Sheep aren't born recognizing their own shepherd's whistle separately from others. They have to learn it by hearing it over and over again, and they have to learn to associate that specific whistle as meaning they will get good food, good protection, good companionship, and general goodness. In time, they learn to want to go wherever they hear that whistle, eager for whatever they may find there.

In the same way, we need to learn God's voice. We have to listen for it again and again. A sheep can't stick its hooves in its ears and chant "I can't hear you". But we can. In a way, most of us tend to deliberately ignore God's voice.

I should point out for those who didn't attend church week after week, year after year, that when I mention God's voice, I don't really mean an audible voice we can hear. I think only a few people ever really hear His voice as a sound, and most of them only rarely. But He can encourage us to act one way or another through feelings. That is His voice for most of us.

To really get to know how to tell God's voice from our own desires, or Satan's taunting, we need to deliberately listen. We need to read His Word, and study it. We need to be open to what He has to show us. In that way, we will get used to His 'voice', and recognize it.

ON THE MENEWE:

June's Sweet Potatoes

Boil sweet potatoes; then cut into chunks and put into a baking pan.

Cook the sugar, cream, and salt in a saucepan until it begins to thicken. Pour over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

A hymn I remember singing at church when I was growing up is "Count Your Blessings". The chorus says, "Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done...." If asked, we would probably answer, "Yes, I have been blessed throughout my life;" yet we often focus on what we don't have or what has gone wrong, instead of counting our blessings and thinking about the goodness and kindness of our Father. I encourage you, particularly as we are heading towards Thanksgiving, to take time each day to stop and think about how God has blessed you, and giving Him thanks.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Keep your list of blessings longer than your list of needs. - Bill Johnson

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org