Thoughts on the word "KNOCKING"

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”  Revelation 3:20

KNOCKING—In your mind, what does knocking connote?  I think of many things—Poe’s Raven persistently knocking at a door until that door is opened by a man who comes to face the truth of his never-to-end grief; the knocking of one’s knees, indicating a person is freezing cold or has extreme fear; and the knocking of a car’s engine, signaling one of three things—the incorrect balance of air and fuel in its cylinders which may be corrected with a higher octane fuel, chemical deposits in the engine needing removal, or the knocking of rods—which can signal the death of an engine.   
 
In comparison, I think of the word knocking as used throughout God’s Word and how it offers hope and life to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.   I love Jesus’ words, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”  Revelation 3:20  God is pursuing us, so He knocks at our hearts to get our attention. The knocking may come as a shout or a silent whisper, but we can recognize His voice as He seeks us:  “Come and answer so I may enter in…and we may be friends!”  Does God give up, then, stopping after one rap?  No, His knocking never is a one-time blow—it is continual!  He knocks throughout our lives until He gets our answer because His compassionate desire is that we live forever with Him!  Eventually we either fully surrender to Him, opening the door of our hearts; or in keeping the door closed, there is an eventual complete silence—signaling we are shutting Him out.  Let this never be you!  Let this never be me!
 
Knock, knock, knock...what does God want?  Possibly He sees that our engines are not firing well—that some of us are running on low-octane fuel, that of self-reliance and human rationale; that we desperately need upgrading to a higher octane gasoline.  God is the source of that fuel, and we plug into His line when we ask Jesus to be our Savior.  We are then filled with the Holy Spirit who  empowers us to grow in our trust and reliance on God and His Word, and as we are filled with His truth, we are strengthened to live in obedience to Him.  This is what I call extreme engine failure prevention! 
 
God also notes any sinful deposits in our lives that need scraping and removed, first through recognition, then through confession.  “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”  1 John 1:9  Now our engines are clean and purified, and we can walk through life without guilt or shame!
 
Our rods tell a different story, however.  In an engine, when the protective bearings of the rods connecting piston heads to crankshafts wear out, the metal-on-metal contact causes the telltale signs of engine failure.  Our rod—our connection to God in other words-- is Jesus Christ.  If we fail to accept Jesus’ great sacrifice on the cross in our place, asking Him to forgive our sins and be our Savior, our lifeline to eternal love and peace with God is forever severed—a death truly to be avoided!  But when we do accept Jesus as Savior, God replaces worn out rods with His Holy Spirit, making us new creations with new life.  We have a complete engine overhaul!
 
Listen!  Hear that knocking?  That is God!   He is asking, “Do you have engine problems?  Open the door, for I am here to remove them!   Are you weak with sorrow and grief, or are your knees knocking in fear and dread of something known or unknown?  Are you freezing cold because you don’t have Me?  Open the door, for I will give you life  and the strength you need to face each day and defeat every  fear and sorrow!  Hear my voice and know who I AM—the beginning and the end—your Almighty God! Then watch my death, and know how I love you!  Be assured, when you open the door, I will come in and be with you always.  You will be a part of My Kingdom and one day you will experience only love, peace, and joy."
 
And so it is that God knocks at the doors of our hearts, offering Himself, the answer to life and to our every needed repair and sorrow.  Don’t know if you have eternal life or recognize needed areas of repair?  Just ask Him, for as God knocks on our doors, we can knock on His.  “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”    Matt. 7:7-8  Never forget that God has promised wisdom to those who seek Him and ask!
 
Now let each of us respond to God’s knocking, and in rejoicing gladness once more invite Christ into our hearts, wholly and completely, with no foot in the door allowing us to only partially surrender.  Then let us all shout out, “Welcome, Father!   Thank You for Your Son’s incomprehensible and  great sacrifice through which You grant us salvation!  To You, Almighty God and Father, be all honor and praise, and may You be glorified in our lives forever and ever.  Amen!”
 
VERSES:
 
Romans 8:1  “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
 
Matthew 13:16-17  “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.   I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.”

John 6:63  “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

James 1:5-6  “ If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.”

PRAYER:  Dear Father, today I know You knock at my door, and I freely and in anticipation open my heart to You.  What is it You wish to reveal?  Show me the areas of my life in which I need engine repair and whether or not there is any area of fear, sorrow, or grief that I am not turning over to You for Your needed strength and healing.   I admit that examining my engine makes me feel vulnerable, and accepting what You tell me is not always—or ever—easy.  So give me strength to accept what You reveal when you remove any logs blinding me from seeing Your truth.  Help me then to live in total obedience to You, not because I must, but because I love you with all my heart and desire to honor You.

DISCLAIMER:   I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since.  How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?!

These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him.  However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word.  Therein lies the source of all truth!