My sheep hear my voice… I know them… no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).
Lord Jesus, thank you, thank you, and thank you some more. Three incredible affirmations by which to live our lives and trust in the darkness, risk hoping and not lose heart. We are your beloved sheep, purchased by you, the Lamb of God.
“My sheep”… we are yours, Jesus (hallelujah). We’re no longer our own. We don’t belong to sin and death. We’re not what our conscience, past, the devil, or any other voice declares. We aren’t our worst moments, or even our best ones. We are yours, Jesus. Make this palpably fresh and real to us.
And you are the Shepherd—the Good Shepherd who speaks. You spoke us into existence, and you spoke the words that brought us from death to life. And now, Jesus, you speak words of truth, grace, and beauty to us. You speak through your Word, by your Spirit—through creations and through our friends. Grant us listening hearts this very day.
You know us, Jesus—the beautiful and the broken stuff. In fact, only you really know us; and only you truly, deeply, completely love us. Again, Lord, make this undeniable, inescapably real to us… again and again and again.
Your grip is the grip of grace. Your hand is the haven of peace and hope. Your hand is the extension and expression of your heart. You have us and will never let go of us. Jesus. We are silent with awe but want to shout with joy. Nothing and no one can snatch us from your hand. And (hallelujah) neither can we pry your loving, grace-filled, mercy-strong fingers lose—by our foolishness, unbelief, or anything else. Hallelujah, a gazillion times over. So Very Amen.