Knock, Knock, Knock
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock..."
Jesus - Revelation 3:20
Wednesday, May 8, 2019, at about 2:40 AM, I was awakened by a knocking sound. Knock, knock, knock. I opened my eyes and laid still for a moment. I wasn't sure whether someone was actually at the door or if it was a dream. After a moment of silence, my first instinct was to lay back down. As I was repositioning myself for another cycle of sleep, Revelations 3:20 came to my mind. "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."
I often wake up between the hours of 3 AM - 5 AM. This is usually the time I get to spend personal time with God. I will be transparent, some mornings I jump right out of bed with no issue. Other mornings, the story plays out a little bit differently and the struggle is real. Usually, when I have trouble getting up it's due to the decisions I made the night before. Eating greasy food at 8:42 PM or spending an hour or more scrolling through Instagram right before bed is not a very responsible thing to do.
This This particular morning, I was reminded of how easy it is to get complacent when it comes to our spiritual lives. Even as a follower of Jesus Christ, many times I've found myself on one side of "a door," Jesus, on the other side knocking, and me not answering. My response to lay back down and get another hour or two of sleep that morning reflect many moments in my life when I chose to "sleep" rather than respond with action. Maybe the knocking I heard was a figment of my imagination or was God wanted me to pray and was trying to get my attention? Something to think about, right?
I could easily ask, "is Jesus knocking at your door?" but I already know the answer. Yes, He is. Jesus is always knocking at the door of our hearts. He wants to come into all of our lives and dwell, but will not enter without an invitation or permission. He stands at the door of our hearts, knocking, longing to come in and commune with us, to have a closer and more intimate relationship, to bless us, or even prepare us to be an answer for someone else. Unfortunately, a lot of times, our hearts are often preoccupied with other things and we miss the moment.
In Revelation 3:21, Jesus says, “To the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne." The victorious one is not the one who wins and does everything right, it's the one who says, "yes, come in and take the seat on the throne of my heart." Inviting Jesus in goes beyond salvation, it's a daily decision. We can easily get overwhelmed or carried away with responsibilities, ambitions, goals, etc. and before we know it Jesus is standing outside of our hearts again. We can try to live and navigate through the journey of life without Jesus, but it will not end well and we won't be able to conquer the obstacles along the way. We need His help and guidance, and strength, peace, and wisdom that can only come by way of the Holy Spirit every day of our lives. The cool part about it is that He wants to provide all of that and more! So the next time you feel His prompting, that knocking at the door of your heart. Be sure to answer.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for being a good Father, one who is always concerned about me. I know that there have been times that I have not been responsive to your promptings and I've allowed complacency to creep in. Lord forgive me for not answering when you knocked. I am aware that I need your help, guidance, and wisdom. Come in take your seat on the throne of my heart. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen
