WATCHWORD:
8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. James 4:8
Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23-42
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. Revelation 3:20
Meditation:
Knocking on Heaven’s Door
One of Bob Dylan’s hit songs is ‘Knock Knock Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’. I pulled up the lyrics hoping something would inspire a meditation. When I looked at the words, I found them dark, words of someone at the end of their options, desperate. The symbolism of knocking on heaven’s door seems to be a search for an answer, an answer from the lord.
How often have we reached the point where we don’t know what to do, we don’t know what to say, we are discouraged, and the anxiety is beginning to build. We need an answer, we need a way out, we need a solution to this puzzle that is tearing us up. And in our desperation, we call on Jesus. We are knocking on heaven’s door and praying that he will save us.
The thief on the cross was out of options, when he said to Jesus: Remember me when you come into your Kingdom. He was not making a last-minute plea, an escape or a reprieve, after all they were both hanging there. He was expressing belief in Jesus, displaying a change of heart. Jesus saw what was in the man’s soul and he responded, reassuring him that today you will be with me in paradise.
From our own experiences, we know that the illness of a loved one, or our own, that moves toward difficult treatments or no cure, no solution, brings us down. In those circumstances we could be left without hope if we did not have faith. We may recite simple encouraging phrases like God is in charge and he loves us, or My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus. When we don’t get well, and yet somehow things are different, manageable. Or perhaps we watch our loved ones slip away, with a strong faith and at peace. We begin to realize the power of faith that can bring us peace, and that what is the solution for which we’ve been praying.
Somewhere in our life journey, where we have consciously accepted God as Lord and savior, we find ourselves on the same firm ground as we saw in those loved ones that have gone on before us. We are children of God and what has happened before us is simply equipping us for what is to come. Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. We dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly trust in Jesus’ name. There is peace in that truth. Amen.
Closing Prayer:
Thank you heavenly father for being there when we knock at your door, when we call out to You, knowing You will respond. Forgive us Lord for those times when we travel a rough road without You until we reach a fork and we don’t know what to do, or which way to go. We are grateful for the gifts and graces that you have given us. Help us to hear more clearly the murmurings of your Holy Spirit, and follow the direction given. We offer these prayers in the name of your son Jesus. Amen.
