REJOICING TO HEAR HIS VOICE
“He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.” John 3:29
Identifying the things that bring joy to a person reveals much about that person. What is it that causes us to greatly rejoice, our possessions, family, or success? John the Baptist mentions twice the source of his greatest joy. He said that he “rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice” and “this my joy therefore is fulfilled.” John was the forerunner of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He was sent to prepare the way for the Lord to come and to direct people to the Savior. John described his relationship to Jesus as a friend of the bridegroom, and he rejoiced greatly to hear the bridegroom’s voice. John said that he loved to listen to Jesus and rejoiced to hear His voice. This was the source of John’s joy – to hear the Savior’s voice. The Jews had long waited for the appearing of the promised Messiah. John was chosen and privileged to proclaim His coming, then to identify Him, and also to baptize Him. How the sound of Jesus’ voice must have thrilled the soul of John!
It is a great joy to know that we, too, can hear the Bridegroom’s voice. Of course, we do not hear His audible voice, but we can hear His voice in our hearts. Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice.” The Spirit of God communicates with our hearts through the Word of God. As we read God’s Word, He speaks to us. When we read the precious words of God, we should rejoice to hear His voice. The Holy Spirit indwells us and guides us into all truth. It is a wonderful thing when we know that it is God Who is speaking to us through His Word. As we read our Bibles daily, we should be listening for Him to speak to us.
Also, through the preaching and teaching of the Bible, we can hear God speaking to our hearts. It is not enough to simply hear sermons; we rejoice when we know that God speaks to us through the Scripture as it is proclaimed. Sometimes sermons do not mean anything to those who listen because they do not know the Shepherd. They cannot hear His voice. It is an encouraging thing to see in the listener’s eyes that he is longing to hear the Lord speak to his heart, and he rejoices to hear the voice of the Bridegroom.