Spring 2001
A Hearing Ear
Nancy Warner

In Genesis 3:9, the Lord called out to man in redemption, “Adam, where are you?” Because confession releases blessing, the Lord sought a confession from Adam as the first step toward his redemption. The Lord sought no confession from the serpent, but pronounced judgment upon him.

The Lord is yet calling out to all those who would choose to submit their lives to Him, that they might enter into an active, on-going personal relationship with Him.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice
and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him,
and he with Me.” Rev 3:20 NAS.

Here, the Lord is saying,

“I am knocking on the door of your heart with
a desire for intimacy with you. Will you invite
Me to come within so I might sup with you,
Because there is much that I long to reveal to
you. Are you listening?”

“Are you willing to come apart to spend time alone
with Me? If you will respond, a door will open
and you will stand in the presence of My throne
where you will experience My glory.”

Abraham, who is referred to in Scripture as “the friend of God,” is an example of this principle and its outworking. In the heat of the day, as he sat in the door of his tent, the Lord suddenly appeared. Abraham ran to meet the Lord and immediately began to minister to Him.

Abraham could have been preoccupied with the needs within his own life. He was old in age and had been promised a son, but there was no evidence of this promise being fulfilled. Yet when the Lord appeared, Abraham did not mention himself, or his hopes and dreams. Rather, his entire attention was directed toward fulfilling the need of the Lord, at that particular moment.

It was to this one that the Lord shared his heart. "Should not I tell Abraham that which I am about to do?" Therefore, the Lord was able to use Abraham in intercession that the righteous might be brought out before judgment fell on Sodom.

As a result of Abraham’s intercession, the intervention of the Lord in that city was so powerful that the Angel literally took Lot by the hand and brought him out, when he would have lingered. The Lord remembered Abraham, and therefore was merciful.

Today, the Lord is looking for those with whom He might share his heart. He is seeking for those who will give themselves wholly to that which He is doing. The Lord will take care of them, as He loves those who love Him.

“I love those who love me, and those who seek Me
diligently will find Me.” Proverbs 8:17 NJKV.

Because Abraham put the Lord first in his life, the Lord gave him the promised son.

In the same way today, the Lord is knocking on the door of all those who have submitted their lives to Him. He is seeking out those who have a listening ear, and who desire to come higher in vision and in purpose.

Yet many within the Church have become busy and satisfied with other things. There is a lack of intimacy of relationship in which they are actively looking in expectancy for the presence of the Lord, and for the deep inner workings of the Holy Spirit within their lives. This has resulted in a dullness of hearing the voice of the Lord. They are satisfied with being saved without a desire for more.

Paul cried out, “That I might know Him.” He expressed his heart desire to be made conformable to the Lord’s death, that he might live with Him in resurrection life. As a result, Paul not only saw things unspeakable, but experienced this power within his own life and ministry, as he was enabled by the Lord to live an overcoming life and experience “The fellowship of His sufferings.”

Today, the Lord is yet knocking. He is not only calling out in redemption to the lost, but He is also calling out to all those within the Church, that they might respond and come forth to become His friends. He is seeking out all those who have a burning desire to know Him, that He might make Himself known to them.
May you be found among those who are “listening to His knock” and are opening the doorway that will take them past all that they are presently involved in. The Lord will enter into their lives and make Himself known to them, and He will include them in all that He is about to do.

Wherever you may be at this present moment, even in the heat of the day, the Lord is knocking on the door of your heart, that you might respond to His desire to make Himself known to you.