Only when I pray is a short series of thought-provoking reflections based loosely around the theme of prayer as found in Luke 11:1-13.

Today sees the end of our series and we have 3 readings today on the subject of knocking, each one quite different. A supplementary aspect for today is about doors as these are, of course, the objects we are knocking.

Song of Solomon 5:2

I slept, but my heart was awake, when I heard my lover knocking and calling; “Open to me, my treasure, my darling, my dove, my perfect one…” New Living Translation

Revelation 3:20

“Look! I have been standing at the door, and I am constantly knocking. If anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with him and he with me.” The Living Bible

Luke 13:24-25

A bystander [asked Jesus], “Master, will only a few be saved?” Jesus said, “Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life — to God! — is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you’ll sit down to God’s salvation banquet just because you’ve been hanging around the neighbourhood all your lives. Well, one day you’re going to be banging [knocking] on the door, wanting to get in, but you’ll find the door locked and the Master saying, ‘Sorry, you’re not on my guest list.’ The Message

In the Song of Solomon reading there is an obvious desire on the part of the one knocking at the door; he wanted to get in to be with the one he loved. What a clearly represented motivation there is in that reading to give him the stamina to keep on knocking.

In the Revelation reading the promise of Jesus is that when we stand and knock at His door, then He will not turn us away, but open the door to us and bid us welcome. But we must be serious and persistent in our knocking and be honest in our desire for the Lord and for more of what He has to offer.

In the Luke reading we find something that should give us some cause for concern! Our persistent knocking may not result in what we are hoping for. The implication here is clear, but it’s a topic that I won’t dwell on at this time except to say – you need to know the Master before that door will open.

One of my favourite singer/songwriters of all time is Bob Dylan – the Nobel Prize for Literature-winning genius. One of his most famous songs is Knocking on heaven’s door which has been recorded by many others over the years. Written for the movie Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid it relays the final thoughts of Sheriff Colin Baker who has been seriously wounded in a gunfight and he feels like he is dying; feels like I’m knocking on heaven’s door…

I am far from being a Nobel Prize-winner for Literature, but please listen anyway to today’s song now, Keep knocking.

Doorways, as I have said in my song, represent opportunity, choice and times of decision. Perhaps, in times of worry you may even have said to a friend something like, “Maybe the Lord will open another door for you.” You can be sure that as one chapter of our life closes, another will begin. Take Moses for example, his life was full of opening and closing chapters [doors] and there are many opening/closing door references confirmed throughout scripture.

In Revelation 3:7-8a we are shown how the Lord deals with certain doors.

“Here is what I command you to write to the church in Philadelphia. Here are the words of Jesus, who is holy and true. He holds the key of David. No one can shut what [door] he opens. And no one can open what [door] he shuts. He says, ‘I know what you are doing. Look! I have put an open door in front of you. No one can shut it…” NIRV

We know that if the Lord has opened a door for us then no-one can close it, block it or divert us from it. If He has closed a door before us then we will not get through it. If He has closed a door behind us then it will not open again, there’s no going back.

Here’s another example from literature; in The Lord of the Rings the fellowship of friends come to a stone door in a mountain wall, it’s the only entrance to mountain mines and can only be opened with a magic spell. They can’t go back; they can only go forward and so Gandalf the wizard recites all the spells he knows; spell after spell after spell, all to no avail. Eventually, exasperated and after much persistence, he works out the correct spell and the company enter the mines under the mountain. This scene reminds me of someone standing at a door knock, knock, knocking until they are able to enter.

When we think of standing at a door knocking our thoughts turn immediately to wanting to get inside! But don’t forget, doors also open outwards - to let you out or to let you away from danger!

If you feel that you’re standing at a door today, where is it that you believe your door leads? Is it into the next chapter of life and are you ready for that, or will it simply be out of the current chapter? Or are you taking a step of faith into something the Lord has not yet revealed? Perhaps you are standing at a door, screaming to get out, scared stiff about opening it, but willing to accept that whatever is outside must be better than what it is you are now going through?

You can see I’m playing around with the words a little bit, but these are my thoughts. Whether you’re at a door knocking to get in or banging on a door to let you out so that you can move on to something better the Lord has for you, the lesson for us is still the same – it’s not about the door and it’s not about the direction, it’s about the reason and the motivation for knocking in the first place followed by the persistence in the knocking. That’s what we have been looking at over these past few days - keeping at it, tenacity, persistence.

Keep asking, keep looking and keep knocking! Whatever door you are at and wherever that door may lead, you must trust and persist in the knocking in your attempt to break through - and do not give up.

Once the door opens go through it knowing the Lord is there and He will go through it with you.

May our prayer today be that the Lord will reveal the door that leads to the next chapter of our lives and that we might have the trust, the motivation and the stamina to keep knocking. The door will open!