Keep Knocking

A blast of cool air hit Peter in the face.

Rhoda had forgotten to let him inside the house...

She would be back, right?

Peter shifted his wait from one foot to the other. He wasn't sure how much time had already gone by, but it had been awhile. His feet were starting to get sore. He kept knocking, hoping that at any moment someone would realize he was really here.

A small piece of wood tore into the flesh of his hand. Great. A splinter.

He could hear people arguing inside the house. Didn't they hear him? Why weren't they coming out to get him? Did they really not believe Rhoda? If he could let himself in, he would. Then he would yell at them for being so faithless.

Peter immediately chided himself. No, he wouldn't do that. Jesus had waited for him to understand stuff. He still waited for Peter to understand. He wouldn't yell at the others for the exact same thing he had done.

A dim light blinded Peter. He blinked several times before his eyes focused on the shocked faces standing there. They had opened the door. At last.

Based on Acts 12

"But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed." Acts 12:16

I've always wondered about this... Peter went to his house because the people waiting and praying there were close to him, yet he knocked on the door. And when Rhoda was forgot to let Peter in, he continued to knock on the door. He didn't let himself in, or yell for Rhoda to come back. He waited and continued to knock.

Why? What can we learn from that small, trivial piece of information?

A lot, actually. But today were are going to stick with this one truth.

Don't give up.

Peter went to his people, and they left him out there. How long did he stand out there while everyone argued inside the house about whether it could possibly be him? They didn't believe, but he didn't give up. He kept knocking, waiting, and believing they would open the door.

Sometimes our people let us down, and they leave us knocking. We want to give up. We want to scream. We want to cut them off. However, we need to keep knocking. We need to not give up on our people. God doesn't give up on us. He waited and continues to wait patiently for us everyday to figure out a life of faith.

It can be unbearably frustrating and heart wrenching to wait for people to figure it out and get the message. However, we need to keep knocking. Don't give up on your people, Christian or non-Christian. Keep believing that eventually they will open that door.

V. Joy Palmer