He Knocks, Do You Answer?
Sometimes in life, we are so overwhelmed with all the things we’ve done, the past, the people we could be, the disappointments, etc., the list goes on. We get so wrapped up in this negative view of ourselves that we begin to question, “how could God possibly love us now?” We find ourselves ashamed or anxious to bring our burdens to Him, our fears, our pain. We are too afraid to lay it at his feet because we’ve done too much, we’ve gone too far. Let me tell you, though these feelings can be easy to believe, they are ALL lies. Lies. These are all false perceptions that the enemy tries to get us to believe.
Revelations 3:20 says, “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.” There are no requirements in this Bible verse, no ‘if’s’ or ‘however,’ simply God saying that if you come to Him with all of your heart, He will take you back with open arms. He’s there in front of the door of your heart, simply waiting for you to be ready so he can knock, waiting for you to let Him in. When you come to God with an open heart, a willing heart, He hears you.
God is always with us. Even when you feel alone, abandoned, or unloved, He is right there beside you, waiting for you to turn to Him in difficult times. God doesn’t simply want some perfect, shiny version of you. You can come to Him with your doubts, your pain, your longing, your worst. Sometimes we think we can hide from Him or only tell him the PG version of how things went down, but God already knows everything and is waiting for you to simply let it all out to place into His hands. Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrew 13:5 both reiterate God’s constant presence. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6). God’s never is not like our never, which can change at any moment based on our emotions. God is constant, he is True, and His love NEVER fails. You can’t move forward in a relationship with Him until you come to Him with the truth, with everything. Nothing is too hard for the Lord, too ugly, that would suddenly make Him stop loving you. You can’t move past your troubles until you let them out and face them, but you don’t have to do it alone. Come to the Lord with everything out on the table and only then can you move forward.
I was recently reading the book of Isaiah and was moved by a line I read in Chapter 9. In Isaiah 9:9-21, the Lord is angry with Israel for worshipping false idols, disobeying his commandments, wickedness, etc. However, despite warning them of the punishments that will fall on their heads if they continue along this path, the book of Isaiah states, “For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.” This means despite all their mistakes, their bad deeds, their disobedience, the Lord would still take them back if they would simply repent and come to Him with all their hearts. He was still holding his hand out, still waiting, still loving. It’s such a beautiful line and such a beautiful reminder of the assurance of God’s love.
We all have that voice in our heads that tells us right from wrong, that causes emotions of guilt or concern when we feel we’ve crossed a line. The book of Genesis states that God created the world and all mankind. Like an artist leaving a trademark or signature on his masterpiece, there is a piece of God in everything he’s created. John 1:3 says, “Though Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” God is in everything and everything is in Him. To take it further, when Jesus died for us on the cross, He spoke of his heavenly Father sending an advocate to help us, which is the Holy Spirit, the literal Spirit of God within us to guide us/steer us the right way. The more you ignore that voice, the more it begins to leave you. The more you listen to the voice, the more it begins to grow within you. It simply boils down to a decision. Will you open the door when you hear God knock, or will you ignore it?
Dear reader, I hope you answer, I hope you have the courage to come to God with everything burdening your heart, and I hope you have the courage to believe that He won’t turn away when you open the door.
