"Here I stand, knocking at the door. If anyone hears me calling and opens the door, I will enter his house and have supper with him, and he with me." Rev. 3:20

He knocks at our door because of his great love for us. God reveals this love in many ways, by many examples and analogies:
Creation; Incarnation; sanctification.
Shepherd--sheep; he leaves the ninety-nine in the desert and goes after the lost sheep.
Even after we have alienated ourselves; God lures us back into the desert, purifies us and weds us to himself as if we were his virgin bride.
He loves us in spite of our sinfulness. God again and again covenants us to himself because he loves us. The theme of his great love for us is constant in the scripture. How much more can he do to show his love?

In the painting, notice that the door is closed. It has no door handle on the outside. It can only be opened from within.  That the door is closed is a sign of our relationship to God; not openness but blockage; but the blockage and obstruction is from our point of view. Someone has asked, if we noticed that there is a distance between ourselves and God, who moved away?

How do we know God is standing at the door? God is calling us by name. God is crying out to us. Many times the scriptures talk about our crying out to God and a sense that he doesn't answer. "How long, O Lord, how long? I cry out to you but you do not answer."  But the reality is God is calling us by name, waiting for us to respond in a fresh, new way. (to be continued)