1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
I came across a short illustration that I believe will bless you.
“Teacher”, said a young boy, “why is it that so many prayers are unanswered? I do not understand. The Bible says, ‘Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock and the door shall be opened unto you.’ But it seems to me a great many knock and are not let in.
The teacher answered, “Did you ever sit by your fireplace on some dark evening and hear a loud knocking at the door? Gone to answer the knock, looked out in the darkness, saw nothing, but heard the pattering feet of some mischievous boy, who knocked but did not really wish to enter, and therefore ran away? The same happens with us. We ask for blessings but do not really expect them. We knock but do not mean to enter. We fear that Jesus will not hear us, will not fulfill His promises, and will not admit us. And so we go way.”
“Ah, I see,” said the boy, his eyes shining with the new light dawning in his soul. “Jesus never promised to answer runaway knocks. I mean to keep knocking and knocking until He can’t help opening the door.”
I had not thought of the phrase ‘runaway knocks’ before reading that. How many people knock and leave before the door can be answered? How many get to the front step and turn around without knocking at all? You can’t ‘come to Jesus in prayer’ if you never really come into His presence. I can’t stand on my front deck and knock on my neighbor’s door either.
Jesus
is always ready, willing and able to answer the door but this short story
illustrates once more that we are required to seek Him. ‘Going to Jesus’ is not
a passive act; we must determine to move to Him, knock on His door, make our
prayer petitions in expectation and wait for His answer. Don’t knock and
runaway like a prankster! Stand with persistent expectation. He’ll never fail
to answer the door.
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