Jesus says, “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.”
Devotional: One of the most tender images in Scripture is Jesus standing at the door and knocking. He doesn’t barge in. He doesn’t kick it down. He knocks. Patiently. Persistently. Waiting for us to open.
This is the heart of our theme: God keeps inviting, even when we ignore Him. Many of us have ignored His knock at one time or another. We’ve heard it faintly but turned up the noise of our lives. We’ve been too busy, too distracted, too comfortable. And yet, He doesn’t walk away. The King of glory continues to stand at the threshold of our hearts, calling us into fellowship with Him.
The beauty of this invitation is its intimacy. The promise isn’t simply about salvation in the future—it’s about communion in the present. “I will eat with that person, and they with me.” Meals in Scripture are about relationship, not transactions. Jesus isn’t inviting us into a contract; He’s inviting us into friendship.
And just as He knocks on our doors, He sends us to knock on the doors of others. Outreach is not about arguing someone into faith. It’s about knocking gently, persistently, with love. Sometimes the door opens right away. Sometimes it takes years. But like Jesus, we keep showing up, keep extending the invitation, keep knocking.
It’s worth remembering that when John wrote these words, Jesus was speaking to a church. Even believers need to hear the knock again. Sometimes our outreach is not only to those outside the faith but also to those inside the church who have drifted or closed the door in subtle ways. God keeps inviting them too.
So today, take heart. The Savior who stands at your door is the same Savior who empowers you to knock on the doors of others. Don’t grow weary in extending invitations. The sound of knocking might be exactly what someone needs to know they are not forgotten.
Action: Pray for courage to “knock” on someone’s heart this week—through a phone call, a visit, or an invitation.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for knocking on the door of my heart and never giving up on me. Help me to hear Your knock daily and open wide. And help me to carry Your invitation with persistence to those who need You most. Amen.
Thought for the Day: God keeps knocking. Who needs to hear His invitation through you today?
