I would have loved to be a fly on the back of a sheep listening in on the shepherds’ conversation that Luke summarizes for us in these two verses. Luke makes it seem so casual and matter-of-fact when it must have been utterly mind-blowing. Individual angel visits, angel choirs in the sky — shocking, to say the least.

Contained in Luke 2:15 above is the notion that God speaks clearly so our responsibility is to respond. The shepherds responded by wanting to investigate the reality of the angels’ message. Then, upon leaving Bethlehem after seeing the young Jesus, the men acknowledged that the angels had been correct and that God was at work. They ran to tell everyone.

These lowly shepherds would have had far more reasons to doubt what they had seen and heard. Recognizing their responses makes any of our excuses today ring hollow. We have the opportunity to hear God through His Word every day. When we read the Bible, we have the opportunity to reflect on all of the ways that God has accomplished His purposes in the past. That things are just as we have been told.

When is the last time you heard God speak? I don’t necessarily mean in the form of angel visitations or heavenly choirs. I’m talking about the gentle nudge or sense that He is wanting to communicate with you.

How did you respond? With obedience and joy at the wonder of your Heavenly Father’s desire to grow your faith? Or with doubt and disobedience?

Lord, I believe you still want to communicate with me. Help me to read my Bible each day and give you opportunities to shape who I am becoming. Give me the strength to obey you when I recognize your voice and then to let others know as well. Amen.

Go Deeper — Meditate on the story of the Good Shepherd in John 10, noticing how we can learn to recognize the sound of His voice.



Tags: Nativity Luke 2
Photo Credit: Karolina Grabowska