A Picture of Prayer

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in….

Revelation 3:20

A visit from my brother and sister-in-law provided multiple opportunities to visit during meals. Some conversations focused on health needs. Another time we discussed the content of our best-loved books. My favorite meal, though, included hilarious stories of my brother’s adolescent escapades!

These recent meals seem to parallel a familiar verse in Revelation. When God speaks to a church located in an area that is now Western Turkey, He issues an amazing invitation—"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20).

Even though I often share that same passage as God’s invitation to accept His gift of salvation through His forgiveness for sin, the context conveys the intimacy of conversation over a meal. Inviting someone into your home for a shared meal, especially in Biblical culture, paints a picture of warmth and hospitality.

Jesus wants me to experience my prayer as intimate as a conversation during a meal—opening the door of my heart to Jesus and inviting Him into my confusion, my need, or my joy.

Father, remind me when I falter in prayer that You want me to envision my time with you as conversation during a meal with family or friends. Thank You that Jesus sees me not only as his child but also as His friend. May that imagery find a permanent place in my mind to remind me of these tender truths and treasured conversations with You, my Heavenly Father. In Your Son’s name, Jesus, I pray, amen.

Linda Lesniewski