Listen for the Voice

“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 him,

and he with me.”

Revelation 3:20 (NIV)

            The crowd coming out of the church auditorium was especially talkative one Sunday morning several years ago. Hundreds of voices with different pitches, tones and accents joined together in laughter and friendly chatter throughout the foyer and down the hallways.

            Suddenly, in the middle of all the commotion, one voice instantly caught my attention. It was a sweet little voice quietly calling over and over “Gaamaa! Gaamaa! I’s here. I’s coming!”

            I quickly knelt down among the sea of people and saw the source of that voice. My two-year old granddaughter Ella. She had seen me in the crowd and was calling my name, trying to get my attention.

            How did I recognize Ella’s voice out of all the others? After all, she wasn’t screaming or yelling. It’s simple. I spent time with her because I loved her. I listened to her tell me stories she had made up. I was familiar with her voice because I heard it almost daily.

            Let me ask you something: isn’t that the way we should be when it comes to the Lord? If we spend time with Him daily, it should not be hard to recognize His voice in this loud, screaming world that demands our attention.

            Today’s Scripture from Revelation 3:20 is very clear in what it says and what it doesn’t say. “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 him, and he with me.”

            It doesn’t say that Jesus is beating on the door of your heart. He isn’t demanding to be heard. He isn’t threatening you if you don’t answer.

What it does say is that He is simply standing quietly and knocking as he waits for you to hear His voice and open your life up to Him.

            Something else occurred to me. Jesus doesn’t say that He only knocks at the door on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He doesn’t whisper your name on Sunday mornings and leave you on Sunday evenings.

He never ever stops calling your name! He stands, waiting for you to give Him permission to live in your heart.  And when you open the door, He never leaves. Ever.

            The only way we will recognize the voice of the One standing at the door and calling us is to be in His word – every day. And as we seek Him, His voice will become more clear in our lives and the distractions of the world will fade away.

Listen for the voice of Jesus – you can hear it!

Father, I can get so distracted by the voices of this world. I want to hear you first and foremost over everything else. Please help me to find time to meet you in your word. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up

Reflect

·        Have you ever felt like you could not hear the voice of the Lord in your heart because the demanding voices of the world were louder?

Application

·        Journal all the voices of the world that crave your attention.

·        Make a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the quietest and 10 being the loudest voice. Rank each worldly voice along with the voice of the Lord.

·        Determine which voice has the power to change your life for the better. Then throw out all the competition and focus on the Truth from the one who stands at the door and quietly knocks.

Power Verses

·        Revelation 3:20 (NIV) “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 him, and he with me.”

·        John 10:27 (NIV) “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

·        Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV) “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

·        Psalm 5:3 (NIV) “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”

·        Psalm 91:15 (NIV) “He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”