Devotionals for the Heart: Jesus Christ is knocking on the door of your heart

Someone’s at the Door
A devotional by Suzanne Felton

“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.”

—Revelation 3:20 (NIV)

What do you do when the doorbell rings?

To be honest, I must admit that when the doorbell rings at my house, my first instinct is to pretend I’m not home. It’s probably just someone selling something, I think to myself. Then I stay quiet and still, hoping whoever it is will give up and go away. If I’m unlucky enough to betray my presence, I’ll open the door just enough to politely cut off their sales pitch without buying in.

Nowadays, we hardly ever need to answer the doorbell at all. High-tech doorbells with cameras and speakers allow us to see and speak to visitors on the outside without going near the door or even being at home. With services like DoorDash and Amazon that offer “contactless” delivery, we can receive our packages and never have to interact with the people who bring them.

Today’s American culture seems far removed from earlier times when answering the door was not considered a hassle or an unusual thing to do. Before the age of telephones, a bell ring or a knock was the only way for visitors to make their presence known. Having guests drop by unexpectedly was commonplace, and it was considered polite to welcome them inside. There are still cultures today that retain a deep-rooted tradition of hospitality, placing value on always being ready to welcome visitors into the home. However, right or wrong, ours seems more focused on safety and security.

What would you do if Jesus Christ knocked on your door?

We could rationalize that it’s difficult to interpret the metaphor of Jesus standing at the door and knocking in contemporary terms, since times have changed and our modern way of thinking about a knock at the door is vastly different than it would have been in Bible times. We might even dismiss it entirely. If we really think about it, though, our modern way of reacting to knocks and doorbells might actually be an apt illustration of how we treat Jesus at times.

Many people who consider themselves Christians have never truly opened the door to Jesus. Some tend to think of Jesus as an impersonal figure who taught the masses from a hillside, bestowing wisdom on them from a distance. They think of him as a good leader whose teachings should be followed in order to become a good person. In a way, that’s like thinking of him as a contactless delivery driver who leaves a package for you to open and use at your convenience. Others pray, but when they do, it’s as if they’re addressing an intimidating stranger, keeping their prayers formal and ritualistic. They “talk to God” but never have a real conversation. That’s sort of like answering Jesus’s knock through an electronic speaker or only cracking the door slightly, never fully listening to what he has to say.

Jesus is anything but impersonal, and this verse from the book of Revelation clearly illustrates that truth: “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” (Revelation 3:20 NIV). Jesus is speaking here, and He tells us that He’s at the door, knocking and calling out to us. He will not leave what He’s bringing on the doorstep and go away; He will continue to knock until we open the door and invite Him in. More than that, if we let Him in, He won’t just stand in the foyer and exchange pleasantries with us. Jesus will come all the way inside the house, sit down at the table, and share a meal with us.

Jesus comes to have relationship with us. He wants to fully enter our lives so that we can know Him and walk closely with Him every day. Many Christians would say they know this, but how many of us truly “open the door”? Do we let Jesus all the way into our lives, or do we keep the door closed as a barrier, keeping Him at a distance, content to stay within the security of the walls we’ve built around our hearts?

Opening the door—literally or figuratively—can feel inconvenient, uncomfortable, or even scary. It makes us vulnerable. But when we think of Jesus standing on the other side, knocking and calling our names, isn’t it worth letting Him in? Jesus wants to enter our lives and have deep relationship with us, but He will neither force His way in nor leave a package on the doorstep. It’s up to us to answer the door, invite Him inside, and sit down with Him at the table.

Let’s Pray: 

Dear God, 

Thank You for sending Your Son to reconcile us to You. When we hear Jesus at the door, help us not to pretend we’re not home, but to open it wide and let him all the way into our hearts. 

In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “Someone’s at the Door” by Nathaniel Bassey. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “He's Calling You” by Donnie McClurkin. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Suzanne Felton has been a writer for most of her life, even before she realized it. 

She has worked in a wide range of settings, from non-profits to science labs to government contracts to educational classrooms, all of which involved writing in one form or another.

Suzanne is amazed by the power of words and now uses her passion and experience to help authors and students as a writing coach. Encouraging others to find the words and the courage to share their stories is one of her greatest joys.

Suzanne’s devotionals have been published in periodicals and blogs including The Upper Room, The Love Offering, Keys 4 Kids, and The Swallow’s Nest. She is also a two-time finalist in the Cascade Christian Writing Contest for poetry.

She is a wife, mother, writer, reader, teacher, deep thinker, and sinner saved by grace. Suzanne and her family reside in Northern Virginia, but Suzanne will always call her native South Carolina home.

Married to her best friend for twenty-five years, Suzanne is active in her church, where she and her husband have served as deacons for over a decade. They enjoy watching sports and visiting national parks with their two teenage sons. Suzanne is also an avid birder, easily and happily distracted by anything with feathers.

~*~
Connect with Suzanne:
Website: https://suzannefelton.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/l_suzanne_felton
Email address: suzannefeltonwriter@gmail.com