Our Scripture Reading is taken from the Book of Revelation 3:14-22

¹⁴ And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; ¹⁵ I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. ¹⁶ So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. ¹⁷ Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: ¹⁸ I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. ¹⁹ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 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. ²¹ To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. ²² He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in. . . . — Revelation 3:20

Here is the amazing reality of prayer: It exists because God wants to have a relationship with you. Prayer begins with God moving your heart to seek His heart. We don’t initiate prayer; God does. This means that our prayers are always responses to God’s promptings.

The scene in today’s Bible reading portrays this fact beautifully. By knocking on the door to our hearts, the Lord invites us to enjoy a deep, lasting friendship with him. We would never have known that Jesus was at our doorstep without his knock­ing at the door.

The fact that prayer is a response to God’s initiatives is reassuring. But this should also motivate us, when possible, to spend time preparing to pray before actually doing it. It need not be long, but some recognition of God’s grace, the ground of all prayer, is a good way to begin. Before we speak, we should listen to the voice that calls to us. Before knocking on God’s door, we should hear God knocking on ours. When we prepare to pray, we gratefully acknowledge that what we are about to do has originated in the heart of God.

So before you pray, bow before its mystery. Savour the Lord’s grace and love. Then open the door.

Let Us Prayer

Lord God, how often I rush into prayer without realizing what an incredible gift it is. Slow me down, Lord. Make me aware of your grace and love as I come to you in prayer. Amen.