Behold, I stand at the door and knock

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

What a picture is painted here! What a depiction for us to gaze upon! That the Son of God would take the time to stand at the door, and knock, awaiting our response. He is a gentle Savior. He does not coerce, coax, or constrain. He only knocks. He waits for us to answer Him. And He continues to softly knock until our hardened, calloused hearts hear His bidding. He says, “If any man hear my voice.” Do you hear His voice? As He knocks, He asks admission. As He knocks, He pleads for our acceptance. As He knocks, He asks our permission to enter. But sadly, many do not hear His voice. The cares and the pleasures of this life are too loud. The concerns and enjoyments of this life are too noisy. The cacophony of this life’s events drowns out the gentle voice of the Son of God. We are unable to hear Him above the din of this world. But, for those who are listening, His voice can be heard in words of gentleness, meekness, and love. For even as He ministered on this earth, the people wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.

If we hear the voice of the Savior, we must answer the question posed implicitly here. Will we open the door? The Lord has no access to our heart. He has no passcode, key, or other device for prying the door open. Only we can open our hearts. The Lord has barred Himself from unsolicited entrance. He is not as His adversary, who seeks to barge in unannounced, and tries to burst through the door with a barrage of temptations. For this is how the devil works. He is no gentleman, has no regard for God or man, and only wants to destroy us. He has come to steal, to kill, and to destroy. But Christ, on the contrary, only pleads. Will you open the door to His kind pleading? Will you let the Savior in? For if you do, His promise is “I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” What a promise this is! That He will sup with us! That He will dine at our table! That He will spread His goodness before us! That He will garnish our table with His love, peace, and joy! And then we may also sup with Him! What communion we may have! What fellowship we may enjoy! What pleasant conversation we may engage in! We can sup with Him. We may freely speak with Him, the true and living God. There is nothing to keep us from Him except our own unwillingness to open the door to Him. How desperately He wants to come in, and how often we ignore His pleading!

Dear Christian, you may have thought that this verse is speaking to the lost sinner, that has never received salvation in Christ. But I must gently remind you that Christ is speaking directly to the church. The sinner must open his heart to Christ, if He is ever to enter. But this message is to Christians. How many Christians have shut him out on a daily basis! How many Christians have heeded the clamor of this life and this world instead of listening to the still small voice! How many Christians have forgotten that every day He stands at the door! Have you spoken with Him today? Have you supped with Him this day? Have you had sweet communion with Him? When was the last time you had uninterrupted, unimpeded, and undistracted time with Him? My friend, there is nothing like it! Other friends may be sweet, other relationships may be pleasant; but there is none like the Savior, who offers full attention as you speak to Him, and then offers perfect love in return. No one is like the Savior, who fills us up with His joy and blessing every time we linger in His presence. Behold, He stands at the door and knocks? Will you hear His voice? Will you open the door? For He longs to come in. He longs to sup with you, and for you to sup with Him. Commune with Him today, admit Him today, receive His love today, which is as ointment poured forth. And may we never let Him stand without our door knocking again!

The Savior is waiting to enter your heart,

Why don’t you let Him come in?

There’s nothing in this world to keep you apart,

What is your answer to Him?

Time after time He has waited before,

And now He is waiting again,

To see if you’re willing to open the door,

Oh, how he wants to come in.

If you’ll take one step toward the Savior, my friend,

You’ll find His arms open wide,

Receive Him and all of your darkness will end,

Within your heart He’ll abide.

Time after time He has waited before,

And now He is waiting again,

To see if you’re willing to open the door,

Oh, how he wants to come in.

By Ralph Carmichael

“Father, thank you for your precious Son. I now give Him admission into my heart. I have ignored Him too long. I have turned Him away too many days. And now I bid my wanderings cease, and receive Him again with open arms. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being patient with me. I ask that by your mercy you will come in and sup with me. I am eager to sup with you. May the rest of my days be filled with Communion with Thee. I want this above all else. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”