"Tap"

At my window there was tapping,

Tap, a-tap, tap, tap,

And I jumped up and into jeans,

Pulled on cowboy boots and hat.

Grabbed my flashlight from the table,

And the note Dad left for me,

And out into the darkness,

To meet our driver, don’t you see.

And he backed up that big rig,

While I turned on the lights,

Went to the pen of cattle,

That were going to leave that night.

And cut by cut I brought ‘em,

Up the chute and on the truck,

And soon the truck was loaded,

And if we were in luck,

The driver hauled those cattle,

Where they were s’posed to go,

I’d clean up, go back to bed,

And soon wake up you know.

And Dad would ask how did it go,

While he spooned eggs on my plate,

And if the driver was on time,

Or if he had run late.

And then he’d go to auctions far,

To buy another load,

And I’d be off to school or what,

The next chore for me showed.

Sometimes I hear the tap, tap, tap,

It wakes me from my sleep,

But there’s no one at my window,

And I think about it deep.

The Bible says the Lord will knock,

And wants to come on in,

For those who don’t yet know Him,

Or those who’ve lukewarm been.

And if we open up the door,

He fellowships and stays,

Never late, our load to bear,

And makes our lives okay.

A little childhood lesson,

From years and years ago,

When I heard the driver tapping,

And now I surely know,

That the Lord will let us hear Him,

When He taps and calls our name,

And if we let the Savior in,

We’ll never be the same.

“Look! I stand at the door and knock…” (Revelation 3:20, NLT)

John’s revelation describes Jesus knocking at the door, with the promise that if the door is opened He will come in and share a meal as friends. It’s a powerful picture of the God who desires intimacy with us, and proactively seeks to have a personal relationship with us. It is in the closeness of that relationship that all sins are forgiven, all addictions broken, and all hurts healed. He wants to come in so that He is given permission to do all these things for us. But He will not force His way in. The door must be intentionally and decisively opened by us. In other words, all He is really asking for is cooperation. How about it? Are you willing to cooperate with the One who can solve everything for you and change your life?

Lord, help us open the door and let You in, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.