“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. . . . his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from a stranger because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”- John 10:3-5
The move A Beautiful Mind tells the story of John Nash, one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th century and a Nobel Prize winner. At the height of his career, he suffered a breakdown. Over time he learned the art of discernment- to differentiate between false voices and true voices. John Ortberg (God is Closer Than You Think) reports in Chapter 4 that John Nash remarks in the film: “I’m not so different from you. We all hear voices. We just have to decide which ones to listen to.”
During our transitional, desert Land Between time following our ministry downsizing or job loss, many voices compete for our attention and allegiance. Voices of anger, resentment, and unforgiveness threaten to fill our minds, leaving no room for God. Yet God always is present and He promises to be with us. May we have the mind of the psalmist David:
“I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”- Psalm 16:8
