Please Answer the Door

15 June

I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

Song of Solomon 5:6

It has been said that procrastination is the thief of time. And time is something we are running short of. Procrastination is when you decide that what you can do today can be done some other day because today just isn't looking good for you.

The Shulamite woman in the Song also made excuses when the knock came. Her first excuse was, "I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on?" Yes, she wasn't ready when opportunity came — she felt inadequate. She wasn't ready to answer the door. Lesson 1: When God knocks on the door, and you feel you're not ready, God knows you are. Answer the door, and God will renew your mind and make you realize just how ready you are.

Then she gives another excuse, "I have washed my feet, how shall I dirty them?" So, after getting over the fact that she was inadequate, she got prepared. Once prepared, and when she realized that she was now clean, she made another excuse — I'm too clean to answer the call to work for my lover. I don't want to go into that area because that area is dirty. She loves Him, she just did not want to be inconvenienced by getting out of her comfort zone. Lesson 2: Don't get stuck in a comfort zone. Be prepared to answer the call and follow through to the end when God comes knocking.

Now done with the excuses, she decides to open the door. Alas, she procrastinated for too long. When she answered the door, her lover had already left. God needs more labourers in the harvest. As harsh as this seems, if He knocks at your door, and you just keep refusing to answer the door, God is going to have to move on. He desires that you work with Him, but the Kingdom cannot be put on hold because you don't want to answer the door. Are you dressed and ready to get your feet dirty?