“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.” The Saviour here represents Himself as waiting for admission to the inmost heart, seeking an entrance, that He may bring to us a divine blessing. How attentive we should be, that we may hear when God speaks to us! If discord, strife, or self-love are permitted to reign in the heart, we shall fail to recognize the “still small voice.”
God speaks to us in various ways, but mostly through the written word. When we read the Scriptures with a receptive mind, some passage will often arrest the attention, causing us to pause, reread, and ponder. In this way the Holy Spirit teaches us a lesson of present duty, comfort, or blessing.
God speaks to us by His providential dealings. Through affliction and adversity, He would soften the hard heart, and humble the proud, leading us to look above and beyond these earthly scenes if we would secure true happiness. A prosperous life and unnumbered blessings should awaken in us a sense of deepest gratitude to the Author and Giver of all good.
God speaks to us also through the wonderful works of nature. Happy is he who has the seeing eye, and the hearing ear, to learn of the loving Father through His great creative power. There are constant lessons for us, if we will but observe them. He who gives purity to the lily springing from the blackest soil, can cleanse the heart from every stain of sin, making it a fit temple for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
How eagerly we should open every avenue of our being to the divine Guest, who pleads in all these ways. May God help us to hear His voice, and to open the door, that He may come in and sup with us, and we with Him!
Davenport, IA
from The Review and Herald, May 21, 1901