Jesus is a Good Shepherd. He died for His sheep, and longs to care for and tend to His sheep. But there are many that He longs for, for them to be His sheep. He longs for those that are lost, to be found in Him. There are those that do not know Him, that He wants to walk in relationship with and tend to. But, although God does call many, if not all, few are chosen.

If that verse is confusing to you, there is a good explanation for it, and it falls within the topic of a sheep and their shepherd. Shepherds often have many sheep that they herd and take care of. According to The Farm Living, a shepherd can have up to 1,000 sheep that they tend to. To get them all together and herded, the shepherd must call to his sheep. This brings the sheep in, that they may be taken care of, and safe.

The Good Shepherd does the same. He calls to us all, that we may be taken care of, safe, and with Him. But, like many sheep, we don’t all answer the call. Therefore, although many, if not all, are called to Him, few are chosen to be His sheep.

Hear Him

Not everyone in the Bible heard the voice of the Lord. However, almost nobody heard Him quite like Samuel.

There is a famous story about Samuel as a young boy, when he was under the Israel Judge, Eli. The story goes that while Samuel was lying down, he heard the Lord call to him. “Samuel”, the Lord said. So, Samuel, not knowing the voice of the Lord, thought that Eli was calling to Him. He ran to Eli, saying, “here I am”, but Eli had not called. The young Samuel went back to lie down, but the same thing happened. Eventually, Eli realized that Samuel was hearing the voice of the Lord and told him this.

“And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’”” (1 Samuel 3:9).

This simple phrase paved the way for Samuel to hear the voice of the Lord and become one of the most influential, God-fearing men in Israel’s history. He heard from the Lord clearly, and even had known the heart of God to immediately know it was a bad idea to have a king. He is my personal favorite Bible hero, outside of Jesus, of course, and it started with Samuel simply being willing to listen for the voice of the Lord.

The Lord calls us all, but we must be ready to listen.

Answer the Call

Around two and a half years ago, my sister passed away. She was one of my best friends, and her death came at an already low point in my life. My struggles with loneliness, depression and anxiety only looked to get worse. But, in a moment of weakness, when I was at possibly my lowest point in life, the Lord called to me. And I answered the call.

From relationship and fellowship with Christ, to scripture reading and prayer, the Lord has picked me up from my lowest place and repaired my broken soul. I’ve seen where He’s worked on my heart, and how He’s changed my life. But none of that would’ve happened if I hadn’t responded to the Lord’s invitation and call.

The Good Shepherd calls us all to Him. Not only for His good and pleasure, but for ours. Just as a shepherd call to his sheep, He calls to us. And in order to be His sheep, we must respond.