Doors, Doors And More Doors (2)

by R. Darke, Victoria, B.C., Canada | Category: Doors, Doors And More Doors | Jul 1987

Door of hope (Hosea 2:15)

We marvel at God's patience with delinquent Israel. Imitating the sinful customs and habits of nations around led to spiritual disaster. In a pleading of grace the Lord offers a door of hope and a new relationship. It would no longer be that of a Master to a servant, but the devoted, loving relationship of Husband to wife (v.16). This was to be a heart4o-heart betrothal, with the added blessing of prosperity in corn, wine, and oil. What a contrast to Achor - the door of trouble the place of Achan's nemesis (Joshua 7)! It would be like leaving a dark room of sorrow and disgrace to enter through a door of hope into a place bright with joy and peace. This was the door of hope He offered to His people.

Our circumstances may not be equivalent to those of Israel, but there

are times when we too, can be in the valley of despair and failure. Days are dark and discouraging, and we long for the bright shining of blessing from the Lord. Arid He is waiting to change the valley of weeping into a place of springs, and to replace trouble with spiritual prosperity. The door of hope can also lead us to the blessings of the wine of spiritual joy, the oil of the fruit of the Spirit, and the corn of satisfaction found in the living Christ.

Door of communion (Song of Songs 5:26)

It is at the heart's door where the beloved knocks. "My soul had failed me when he spake..." (v.6). This confession is a clue to understanding the details of this love story. Is it a case of lethargy, resentment to personal comforts being disrupted? A case of the "why now, why me" syndrome? Then the sad reflection, "But my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone. My soul had failed me when he spake..." (v.6).

Spiritually, the experience is familiar to us. It is called broken communion. There are many causes. Lack of awareness concerning our Beloved; selfishness on our part, being too busy, too stressful, too occupied with other things; and the heavy demands of a "treadmill" existence. All, or some, can crowd out Him, His voice, His word, His comforts, love and assurance. When there is a break in our communion we must seek His return, and tell Him that we want to hear His knock, His voice; and we must express our sorrow to Him for our callous, careless treatment. May we not forget again that "It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh saying, Open to me..." (v.2). And let us be determined that we "will seek him whom my soul loveth ... When I found ..... I held him, and would not let him go (3:24). To seek, to find, to hold, and never let Him go, is the measure of our love and affection for Him.

Door of prayer (Mat. 7:7)

This is a door which responds not to the knock of a hand, but to a voice; with voice and heart we knock at the door of prayer. There is an insistence indicated here; a little more, perhaps, than in the asking and seeking. Abraham pleading with God concerning those in condemned Sodom, gives us an insight into a reverential attitude we could do well to imitate. "...Abraham stood yet before the Lord ... and Abraham drew near and said ..." (Gen. 18:22,23). He certainly fulfilled the wise advice of Solomon not to be hasty in speaking to God (Eccl. 5:2). Then followed what can be described as the six "knockings" of the "friend of God" in his intercession on behalf of others. Arid the Lord patiently answered his knockings which were those of a pleader who humbly described himself as "dust and ashes" (v.27). "Peradventure if there be fifty righteous", cried Abraham, until the final plea .. "I will speak yet but this once ... peradventure ten shall be found there" (vv.24,32). God answered again, in the affirmative.

From the top of Mount Carmel, with his face between his knees, Elijah "knocked" seven times before the answer appeared in a cloud as small as a man's hand (1 Kings 18:42, 44). Then came the great rain after a 3 1/2 year drought. James speaks of Elijah's fervency in prayer, and also of his nature being similar to ours (James 5:17). One does not have to be a spectacular person t6 learn the secrets of prayer. We do not know how many times Hannah knocked, but the intensity of her prayer is seen in the words: "And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD ..." (1 Sam. 1:12). The Lord remembered her, answering her knockings as she wept, pleaded, petitioned, for a baby boy. Triumphantly she was able to cry: "For this child I prayed ... I also have granted him to the LORD ..." (vv. 27, 28).

What shall we say of Paul's knockings concerning his thorn, and night and day for the churches; Daniel's petitions three times daily on his knees? Prayer knocking demands that we too, need to be reverently persistent, urgent, which are meanings of the word importunity, used by the Lord Jesus in relation to prayer (Luke 11:1-13).

R. Darke, Victoria, B.C., Canada | Jul 1987
Doors, Doors And More Doors