Psalm 95 begins, “Let us sing for joy to the Lord” (verse 1). In the joyful words of praise that follow, we are invited to join in spontaneously with the sea, the land, and all creatures of the earth to praise God.

If God is worthy of praise, it follows that he must be worth listening to as well. “We are the people of his pasture,” the psalmist says (verse 7), and yet unlike a flock of sheep who listen to and trust the voice of their shepherd, expecting safety and good, we tend to pick and choose as we hear God’s voice, displaying a lack of trust in or respect for our Shepherd.

Listening implies not only hearing someone but acting appropriately on what they have said. We feel gratified when someone listens to us—to our advice, or request, or words of warning. Their attention shows respect. Psalm 95 pleads that we would listen to the Shepherd in the same way that we want to be heard: “Today, if only you would hear his voice, ‘Do not harden your hearts’” (verses 7,8).

Jesus himself echoed the fervent cry of the psalmist, reenforcing how people who claim to love and follow God conduct their lives: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

Does your praise of God extend to following him, listening to him? Do you follow Jesus as a sheep listens to a shepherd?