Janet Moreno and Jennifer Fusco
5 min read ⭑
Let me tell you about one of the first times God’s voice broke into my silent world.
I was 13 years old and my family had recently moved from West Virginia to South Carolina. Several times, we attended a huge church where my mom was my only interpreter. One Sunday morning, an unassuming gentleman made the bold move to approach us right in the middle of the sermon. The man planted a mini floor lamp in front of us, grabbed a chair and began interpreting. This guy was fluent.
My mom and I were flabbergasted. I had so many questions, including: Who is this guy?
Beatriz Camaleão; Unsplash+
Though it took me a moment to process what was going on, something began to stir inside me: spiritual joy! Was it because I felt included and was finally not being overlooked? Or was it simply the man’s kindness that moved me? It was clear to me that he had obeyed a prompting from God because only he knew our need. And this man’s obedience brought the joy because he was my answered prayer. He walked in bold obedience, making a way for me to be spiritually fed and allowing my mom to rest and receive as well. The reality is that if you’re an interpreter, it is work to deliver the message. It can be spiritually draining, not to mention physically, what with our necks straining during the entire sermon because of sitting next to each other.
Looking back, I believe the feeling was God’s divine presence.
After church, the man introduced himself to us, and, wouldn’t you know it, his name was Guy. We learned that Guy was a professional American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. To show appreciation for his service, my mom invited him and his wife over to our house for dinner the following evening.
They came, and I vividly remember Guy sitting across from me at our table. His presence as a believer seemed to usher God’s Spirit into that space, and I sensed that something meaningful was about to occur.
By the time we finished dinner, it was dark outside, but everything felt so lit up. Guy’s obedience to be a messenger of the Good News shone brightly. The Holy Spirit was like a fire that was lit inside me because of the spark of this fellow Christian. Guy told me about Jesus Christ and the gospel. He shared with me the ABCs of salvation:
A. Accept Jesus into your heart.
B. Believe that he died on the cross for your sins.
C. Confess your sins and receive God’s forgiveness.
You might’ve seen or heard the first step defined instead as “Admit you are a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness.” Isn’t that the truth! But how incredible that the word Guy gave me so many years ago for A is the same word God gave Jenny. Accept him. (But don’t worry, I admitted I was a sinner in need of forgiveness by the time we got to C!)
That night, I accepted Christ right at that dining room table. Two incredible things happened. First, I had a split-second vision of a very large angel in the corner of the room. He shone brightly and was so big that he was partially standing in the living room. It was an open space with high ceilings, so I saw the angel’s legs with golden sandals on his feet and the tips of sparkling wings. The bottom of his kneecaps disappeared right above the ceiling. I had a vision before I even knew what a vision was.
“Answering God’s call to accept him as Lord and Savior is the first step to allowing his voice to penetrate through the noise of this world.”
Second, I recognized how hungry and thirsty I was for God’s love. I was so lost in the experience that what felt like a 10-minute conversation went on for two hours! I can’t remember everything Guy said, but through his example, he taught me that it’s a gift to have that kind of obedience — to follow the Shepherd that closely. He listened to God’s voice and acted upon it, and the fruit of his obedience fed my soul.
I want to be that kind of believer: the kind that listens to God’s voice and tells others about him. I don’t want to think of what my life would be like if that man hadn’t pulled up a chair that morning at church. He was Christ’s ambassador to me that day, sharing the words of life with a soul desperate for God’s love. Even today, less than 2% of the Deaf population around the world knows Jesus, which breaks my heart. However, my deafness didn’t stop the God who leaves the 99 from breaking in and finding one lost sheep (see Luke 15:3-7).
And he did it through a guy named Guy.
Deaf, Not Dead
I have a love-hate relationship with autocorrect. My least favorite persistent autocorrect fail is when deaf gets changed to dead. It’s happened more times than I can count. However, it reminds me of a truth about the Shepherd. I am physically deaf, but I am not spiritually deaf or dead! As one of his sheep, I have eternal life and his voice to guide me in this one.
Jesus identifies himself as the Shepherd in John 10:14-15: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15, NIV). Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down his life for us, his sheep, when he died on Calvary and rose again to bring us to God and give us life. When we accept his gift of salvation, we become his sheep and recognize his voice.
This voice is distinctive and stands out from others. As sheep, we must get to know the Shepherd so we can recognize his voice. We need to run away from any voice that doesn’t match Scripture.
Answering God’s call to accept him as Lord and Savior is the first step to allowing his voice to penetrate through the noise of this world. Jesus not only identified himself as the Good Shepherd, but he also declared he is the only door to eternal life:
Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:7- 10, ESV).
God’s sheep recognize his voice and experience the abundant life he offers. As we accept Jesus’s lordship and depend fully on him for salvation, we will experience the benefits of thriving under his care.
We have an Enemy: a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. But if we listen to the voice of the Shepherd, the enemy loses his grip, and we step into the abundant life Jesus offers us.
Twin sisters and authors Janet Moreno and Jennifer Fusco are passionate about pointing people to God’s mercy, grace and hand in their lives. Janet, who is deaf, is the face behind the Instagram account Deaf Motherhood, where she shares biblical truths and insights into life as a deaf wife and mother. Jennifer is a wife, mother and educator with over fifteen years of experience teaching children.
Taken from “The Shape of God’s Voice” by Janet Moreno and Jennifer Fusco. Copyright © 2026. Used by permission of Multnomah.
