Hearing His Voice: The Secret to Security in Uncertain Times

Feeling adrift? Lost in your worries, as though your anchor lines have snapped? Are you tossed on a sea of uncertainty, clinging to anything familiar just to stay afloat? Life certainly has a way of doing that. It hurls storms into our path that leave us questioning everything, yearning for the solid ground we thought we knew.

In those moments, when we're searching for something secure, something real, the words of Jesus in John 10:27-30 offer an incredible anchor, a lifeline that speaks directly to our deepest longings for belonging and safety. These verses, so rich in comfort and power, reveal the heart of Jesus’ relationship with those who follow Him.

"My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27)

This verse, the cornerstone of the passage, paints a powerful picture. Jesus isn't a distant figure issuing commands from afar. He’s the Good Shepherd, intimately connected to His sheep (that's us, His followers). He speaks, and His sheep hear His voice. It’s not just about sound; it's about recognition. We recognize the Shepherd's voice amidst the noise of the world, a voice of truth, love, and direction. This implies a relationship, a connection built on trust and attentiveness. We listen, and we follow. And then comes that profound promise: “I know them.”

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; No one can take them out of my hand." (John 10:28)

Jesus speaks of "eternal life," not just an endless existence but a quality of life, abundant and secure, beginning now and extending into eternity. And then the stunning guarantee: those who truly belong to Him "shall never perish," and "no one will snatch them out of my hand." What a powerful image of security! Not even the strongest force, no earthly or spiritual threat, can forcibly remove us from His grasp. His hand is a place of absolute safety and unbreakable hold.

"My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all and no one can take them out of my Father’s hand." (John 10:29)

Jesus amplifies the security. His power is backed by the ultimate power, the omnipotence of God the Father. We're not just in Jesus' hand; we're in the Father's hand, too. An image of double security, the ultimate safety net. God’s strength is our guarantee.

"I and the Father are one." (John 10:30)

Jesus and the Father are "one" - united in essence, purpose, and power. This is not just a statement; it’s the bedrock of our confidence. Jesus can offer such security because He is God. His promises are backed by divine authority. His love is the love of God. His power, the power of God.

And that brings me back to a childhood memory… I was probably seven or eight years old, a typical kid. My world was small, my understanding limited. I couldn't see love. You can’t put love under a microscope or hold it in your hand. But I knew it. I felt it in my mom’s warm embrace when I cried uncontrollably over something that didn’t go my way, on my dad's strong shoulders lifting me high, and in the simple, unwavering presence of my family. It was an invisible force, but I trusted it completely. That unseen love was the foundation of my world, a safety net I knew was always there, even if I couldn’t see it. It shaped me, gave me courage, and let me explore the world without fear.

My childhood conviction—believing so firmly in a love I couldn't see—now serves as a constant reminder of the unseen love and security Jesus offers. This early experience of knowing without seeing directly parallels our relationship with Christ. We may not see Him physically, but we recognize His voice in Scripture, connect with Him in prayer, and feel the Spirit's gentle leading. His love becomes real to us through His sacrifice, His enduring promises, and His steadfast presence. And because of this, we can trust completely that He holds us, not with a fragile human grasp, but with the very strength of God Himself.

Today’s Gospel, John 10:27-30, is a declaration of divine security. When life feels like a turbulent sea, threatening to pull us under, these verses remind us that we are held by God Himself. We are in the hands of the Good Shepherd whose love is stronger than any storm, any fear, any doubt. He sees us. He knows us. He will never let us go. May we truly hear His voice and find our unshakable security in His unwavering love.

From Defeat to Purpose: God's Plan Meets Our Locked Doors

Ever feel like you've hit a wall? Not just a temporary obstacle, but a solid, unyielding wall of... well, failure? Like despite your best efforts, your plans haven’t just gone sideways, they’ve completely capsized, leaving you feeling adrift and defeated? Maybe it's the pressure cooker of a demanding job, the weight of expectations (your own or others'), or just the slow grind that wears you down until you look around and wonder, "Is this it? Am I just... failing?" It’s that draining feeling that no matter how hard you try, you’re just not measuring up, stuck behind a locked door with no key in sight.

I vividly remember a season like that hitting me hard. I was pouring everything into my career, climbing the ladder, ticking the boxes. But somewhere along the way, the environment shifted. Projects I championed stalled or were undermined, recognition felt non-existent, and the collaborative spirit soured into something bordering on toxic. Day after day, I felt like I was pushing a boulder uphill, only to have it roll back over me by evening. The narrative in my head became relentlessly negative: You're not good enough. You made wrong choices. You're stuck. You've failed. It wasn’t just disappointment; it felt like a deep, personal defeat, locking me into a room of frustration and fear about the future. Was there any hope or purpose beyond this feeling of being utterly beaten down?

In moments like these, when our own plans seem to crumble and our strength feels depleted, Scripture offers not easy platitudes, but profound perspective and enduring hope. Let's look together at two seemingly different passages that speak powerfully into these spaces of defeat and fear: God's enduring promise in Jeremiah 29:11 and an encounter with the resurrected Jesus in John 20:19-31.

First, Jeremiah 29:11. It's a verse many of us know, maybe even have cross-stitched on a pillow: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” It's crucial to remember the context: God spoke these words to the Israelites who were defeated, exiled, living in Babylon far from home. Their national dreams were shattered, their present circumstances bleak. This promise wasn't about immediate rescue or a guarantee that their personal plans would succeed. It was a declaration of God's sovereign, overarching, good plan that transcended their current reality of failure and loss. It was an assurance that even in exile, God hadn't abandoned them; He still held their ultimate future and hope securely in His hands. When we feel defeated by our circumstances, like our work or life plans are in ruins, this promise anchors us. It reminds us that God's purpose for us is bigger than our current performance review, our stalled project, or our feelings of failure. He has a good plan, a future, a hope that our present struggles cannot nullify.

Now, let's shift to the Upper Room in John 20. It’s evening on the day of Jesus' resurrection. The disciples are huddled together, terrified. Their leader had been brutally executed, their hopes dashed, their own courage failed them (Peter's denial, others scattering). Verse 19 tells us “the doors were locked where the disciples were for fear...” Can you feel that? It’s the same feeling I had in that difficult work season – locked in by fear, failure, and uncertainty.

And what happens? “Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’” He doesn’t knock. He doesn't need a key. He enters right into their locked room of fear and failure. His first word isn't rebuke, but "Peace." He shows them his hands and side – proof that he understands suffering, bears the marks of it, yet has overcome it. Their fear gives way to rejoicing.

But He doesn’t stop there. He repeats, “Peace be with you.” And then, incredibly, He gives them purpose right there amidst their weakness and past failures: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”  He doesn't say, "Go pull yourselves together, prove you're worthy, then I'll send you." No, He commissions them now, right out of their fear and failure. And He empowers them, breathing on them and saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” He even meets Thomas later in his raw doubt  inviting belief rather than demanding it.

What happens when we weave these threads together?

1. God Meets Us Behind Our Locked Doors: Like the disciples, our failures, fears, and disappointments can make us lock ourselves away emotionally and spiritually. But Jesus isn't deterred by locked doors. He meets us right there, in the mess, offering His peace.

2. His Peace Transcends Circumstances: The peace Jesus gives isn't dependent on a problem-free life or career success. It's the peace of His presence and victory over sin and death, offered freely even when everything feels like it's falling apart.

3. Purpose Isn't Nullified by Failure: Jeremiah reminds us God has overarching good plans. John shows us that Jesus commissions us despite our failures. Our past mistakes or current struggles don't disqualify us from God's purpose. Often, it's right in our weakness that His purpose is clarified and His strength is shown.

4. Hope is Anchored in Resurrection Reality: The hope Jeremiah speaks of isn't wishful thinking. It's grounded in the resurrected Christ (John 20) who overcame the ultimate defeat – death itself. If He can conquer that, He can surely carry us through our trials and fulfill His plans.

5. Empowerment Comes from Him: Jesus didn't just give the disciples a mission; He gave them the Holy Spirit. We aren't expected to overcome failure or live out our purpose in our own strength. We rely on His Spirit working within us.

So, how do we navigate those seasons of feeling defeated, especially when work or life feels like a failure?

• Acknowledge the Locked Room: Be honest with God and yourself about the feelings of failure, fear, or being stuck. Don't pretend the doors aren't locked.

• Invite His Peace: Consciously ask Jesus to meet you in that space, bringing His transcendent peace that doesn't depend on circumstances changing.

• Hold onto God's Larger Plan: Cling to Jeremiah 29:11. Trust that even if your plans are failing, God's good purposes for you are not. Ask for His perspective.

• Listen for His Commission: Be open to how God might want to use you right now, perhaps even through your struggle. Purpose often looks different than we expect. It might be found in newfound compassion, dependence, or pointing others to Him.

• Lean into His Spirit: Actively depend on the Holy Spirit for strength, wisdom, and endurance. You don't have to muscle through alone.

That feeling of failure I experienced didn't vanish overnight. But shifting my focus from my perceived defeats to God's unwavering promises (Jeremiah 29:11) and the reality of Jesus meeting me in my weakness with peace and purpose (John 20) changed everything. It reminded me that my value and future weren't defined by my job title or project outcomes, but by God's enduring plans and the presence of the resurrected Christ who specializes in unlocking doors and breathing new life into defeated hearts. Even when we feel exiled or locked away by failure, He is there, offering peace, promising hope, and commissioning us anew.

Beyond Burnout: Finding Real Life Power Within

Ever feel like you're running on an endless treadmill of self-improvement? Trying to be better, do better, achieve better? Maybe it's the pressure to curate the perfect life online, crush it at work, be the ideal parent or partner, or finally stick to that ambitious habit change. We pour so much energy into trying to control outcomes, manage perceptions, and just generally be enough. But if we're honest, doesn't it often leave us feeling exhausted, depleted, maybe even like we're failing despite our best efforts? That cycle of striving, falling short, and trying harder can feel deeply human, deeply modern, and utterly draining.

I remember hitting a point a while back where I was juggling so many 'shoulds' – things I felt I should be doing to be a better person, a better professional, even a 'better Christian'. I had lists, apps, goals... and underneath it all, a growing sense of fatigue and inadequacy. It felt like no matter how hard I paddled, I wasn't really getting anywhere truly life-giving. Is there another way? A different source of power for living?

Today, let's turn our hearts to a dense but incredibly potent passage in Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 8, specifically verses 8 through 11. It speaks directly to this tension between human effort and divine enablement, offering a perspective that can radically shift how we approach life itself.

Paul starts with a stark reality check: "Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God" (v. 8). Now, 'flesh' here isn't just about our physical bodies. It refers to living life based on our own limited, natural, often self-centered human resources and inclinations – that treadmill of self-effort we were just talking about. Paul's point isn't that striving is inherently evil, but that living solely from that place, relying only on our own strength and wisdom, fundamentally misses the mark when it comes to a relationship with God. It simply doesn't have the capacity to align with His heart or purposes.

But then comes a pivotal shift in verse 9: "You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you." He's speaking to believers here. Notice the condition: if the Spirit of God lives in you. This isn't about achieving a certain level of goodness; it's about a change of residence, a fundamental shift in who defines and empowers us. Paul doubles down: "And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ." The presence of God's own Spirit within us is the defining mark of belonging to Jesus. It’s not about trying harder for God; it’s about God’s Spirit living in us.  

What does this indwelling Spirit actually do? Verse 10 gives us a glimpse into our present reality: "But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness." Wow. Let that sink in. Yes, we still live in bodies affected by sin and mortality – we get sick, we age, we struggle. But internally, if Christ is in us through His Spirit, that same Spirit is a source of life right now. This isn't just future hope; it's present spiritual vitality, given to us because of Christ's righteousness, not our own striving.  

And the promise doesn't stop there. Verse 11 offers a breathtaking future guarantee: "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you." This is incredible! The very same resurrection power that conquered death in Jesus Christ is dwelling inside believers right now. And that indwelling Spirit is God's promise, His down payment, that one day He will bring that same resurrection life fully to bear on our mortal bodies too.  

What powerful truths can we draw from these few verses?

1. The Limits of Self-Reliance: Trying to live a life pleasing to God or find deep, lasting fulfillment through sheer willpower (living "in the flesh") is ultimately futile and exhausting. It misses the source of true spiritual life. Remember that feeling of burnout from trying to 'do it all'? This speaks right to it.

2. Identity Shaped by the Spirit: For those in Christ, our fundamental identity isn't defined by our efforts or failures, but by the reality that God's own Spirit resides within us. We belong to Him, and His Spirit is the seal of that relationship.

3. Present Power for Life: The Holy Spirit isn't just a theological concept; He is an active source of spiritual life and vitality now, even amidst our struggles and the limitations of our physical existence.

4. Resurrection Hope is Current Reality: The future promise of resurrection isn't just pie-in-the-sky. The power that will accomplish it – God's Spirit – is already at work in us, guaranteeing that hope.

So, how do we step off that treadmill of self-effort and into the reality of Spirit-led living?

• Acknowledge the Difference: Honestly assess where you might be relying solely on your own strength ("the flesh") versus actively depending on the Spirit. Where does that burnout stem from?

• Embrace Your True Identity: Regularly remind yourself that if you belong to Christ, His Spirit lives in you. You operate from a different power source now. Let this truth sink deep.

• Cultivate Dependence: Actively lean on the Spirit. This looks practical: praying for wisdom and strength before acting, immersing yourself in Scripture to align your heart with His, seeking fellowship with other believers who can encourage you in Spirit-led living.

• Live Fueled by Hope: Let the incredible promise of verse 11 – the guarantee of future resurrection life by the Spirit within – give you perspective, endurance, and even joy in your present circumstances. This hope isn't fragile; it's anchored in the power that conquered death itself.

Romans 8:8-11 invites us away from the exhausting cycle of self-reliance and into the liberating reality of a life empowered by God's own Spirit. It assures us that true spiritual life isn't something we achieve, but something we receive and live out through the Spirit dwelling within us – offering vitality for today and a certain hope for eternity. May we learn to walk less by the frantic energy of the flesh and more by the life-giving power of the Spirit within.