"That-a-Way"

The cloud of dust there billowed,

The tracks were everywhere,

A dozen running horses,

Had galloped right through there.

Then ‘long came the posse,

And asked a stander-by,

Did you seen which way they went,

He did not blink an eye.

He pointed to the dust cloud,

And down at the tracks,

Glanced back at the posse,

Waiting tensely, no relax.

He always said the same thing,

You knew just what he’d say,

With almost a prophetic flair,

They went that-a-way!

Sometimes his words were truthful,

Sometimes he did not know,

And sometimes the outlaws paid him,

To say which way to go.

And off galloped the posse,

And often they came back,

Either ‘cause they were outrun,

Or with captives, that’s a fact.

And often that old stander-by,

Was cuffed and brought along,

‘Cause he misdirected them,

And sent them running wrong.

The moral of the story,

Is when you don’t know the way,

Be careful who you listen to,

And the counsel you obey.

Some will misdirect you,

If it pays them to,

And you might not know it,

Before it train wrecks you.

Let the Good Lord lead you,

His Spirit and His Word,

And don’t go off that-a-way,

Unless His voice you’ve heard.

“My sheep listen to My voice…” (John 10:27, NLT)

Jesus made this claim. The sheep who belong to Jesus hear His voice and follow Him. It’s one of the most wonderful and powerful things about following Jesus. But why do people say they’ve never heard Him speak to them? These are people who believe. People who love Him and want to serve Him. Many of them say they don’t hear Him. How could it be? You could be cruel about it, and say, well, they just aren’t listening. But how do you know that? We don’t, do we? But here’s a suggestion. Maybe it’s because life itself has gotten so noisy it’s hard to really hear anything good. Silence is rare. Life has a loud sound-track that is rarely paused, and when it does, we rush to fill it with sound. Maybe, just maybe, a first step in hearing Him would be to simply and intentionally turn some of the other voices down. Just a thought.

Lord, help us hear Your voice, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Clark Kelley Price, clarkkelleyprice.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Clark, and God bless you.