THE LANGUAGE OF WHISTLING - All Our Daily Bread Daily Devotionals for 2026

Our Daily Bread - Friday, September 24, 2016
by RBC Ministries

Details

THE LANGUAGE OF WHISTLING

READ:

I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.
-Zechariah 10:8

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Song of Solomon 4-5
Galatians 3

On La Gomera, one of the smallest of the Canary Islands, a language that sounds like a bird song is being revived. In a land of deep valleys and steep ravines, schoolchildren and tourists are learning how whistling was once used to communicate for distances up to 2 miles. One goat herder who is using this ancient language once again to communicate with his flock said, "They recognise my whistle as they recognise my voice."
The practice of whistling also shows up in the Bible, where God is described as a shepherd whistling for His sheep. This image could be what the prophet had in mind when he described how God will one day whistle to bring a wandering and scattered people back to Himself (Zechariah 10:8).
Many years later Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27). That may be the whistle of a shepherd. Sheep don't understand words, but they know the sound that signals the shepherd's presence.
Misleading voices and distracting noises still compete for our attention (cf. Zechariah 10:2). Yet God has ways of signaling us, even without words. By events that can be alarming or encouraging, He reminds us of His guiding, protecting, and reassuring presence. - Mart DeHaan
Father, it is a noisy world. Thank You for always calling to us above the din and ruckus that distracts us. Help us to recognise Your voice and follow Your leading.

The call of God can always be heard.

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