The Listening Heart ~ Hearing His Voice

I love this picture! In other photos that symbolize this verse, some of them show Jesus standing at the door knocking, but there is no door knob and some show that there is. Either way, I believe that is very telling of His heart and attitude towards us. He doesn’t force His way into our lives, but He comes seeking an entrance through the door waiting for us to open it for Him, not any other way. He wants to be invited in and bring all that He is with Him.

I wonder if His blows on the door of our souls (thoughts, feelings, will, motivations, understanding, attitudes, etc.) get heavier and faster when He knows we are in danger, threatened, in need, or our time is short. That’s how I would knock if someone needed help! I would probably try to break down the door!

His reason for coming to us, to the door, is in order that we, someone or anyone, would open it for Him to come in. He lives among us, near us. He knows us in our soul, the good the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful...and He still desires to be known by us. Our soul knows His voice. We recognize it in hearing it, but do we listen to it? His voice is familiar to the deepest parts of who we are! How can that be? It’s because He is God.

The most interesting thing to me here, is that this is a picture and description of Him seeking us - not us seeking Him. We are inside of ourselves with a closed door as a barrier, surrounded by walls of self-preservation and an empty darkness inside. Yet we choose to keep Him who is the Light of the world shut out!

Several questions flood my thoughts:

How long has He been standing there, waiting for me to open up to Him? How long has He been knocking? How long will I keep Him out and ignore His knocking and His voice? Why is He here? What does He want from me?

These questions will only be answered if we not only hear, but respond by listening to His persistent knocking and His voice by opening the door. When we do, we must remember that He is the Word made flesh. We can ask anything - He has the answers. The Word is written for us to read and heed. When we open the door of our soul to have a relationship with Him, we must also open the Word, and He will reveal more and more of who He is to us!

The depth of the intimacy of our relationship with Him is measured by our belief in what He says. The depth of the expression of that intimacy is lived out in our communication and shared experiences with Him.

This is not a superficial relationship that He is seeking with us. This is a covenant relationship that He desires, pursues, and extends to us - we have but to receive it by the opening of our door. Understand, He knows you, the deepest parts of you, and still desires to be with you!

Hearing His knock and His voice requires a response! What is yours?

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”