Lesson 92. I Knocked, but You Did Not Hear

If I tried to stop any car on the street, I could say with certainty that music would be playing in almost every vehicle. It would differ in meaning and volume, but it would be there. For many people, listening to music and radio programs has become an artificial filler for the mind without which most can no longer imagine their existence in this world.

God, for His part, desires to fill my mind with His melody of love so that it may sound within my heart as beautiful music upon the strings of my soul, fill the whole realm of my perception, and spread its fragrance into the world around me.

Good and evil are engaged in a battle for the human mind, and the epicenter of this conflict lies between my right ear and my left.

God has made my salvation so simple and easy that if I merely show interest and begin seeking in this direction, I will find what brings peace to my soul.

Wherever on Earth I may find myself and whichever path I take, I will always eventually reach the ocean that surrounds the continents. In the same way, God’s love surrounds us on every side. Whatever direction in life I choose, in the end I will always encounter it. The only question is: on which side of the barricades will I be at that moment?

Love is the union of mercy and justice. By choosing God’s plan for my salvation, I come under His mercy. By choosing another path in life, I will encounter God’s justice and taste the fruit of what I sowed throughout my life.

The Lord calls, knocks, seeks, and waits for those who will hear and open the door.

I learned from the pastor that Christ desires to enter the home of my heart as well. I prepared for this meeting. I washed all the rooms, bought delicacies for supper, hid everything improper in secret places, and swept the extra rubbish under the rug. I selected romantic music as a background for our conversation and sat down to wait for my dear Friend. To pass the time, I turned on the television, selected my favorite channel, and while watching the events unfold on a talk show, began reflecting on the wonderful Eternity awaiting me in the near future. Minutes, hours, days, and weeks passed, but my Friend still did not come. How strange.

During this time, I realized that television imposes its programs upon me, while on the Internet I can choose what I want to see and hear. I quickly learned to find my favorite films and songs, and there was simply not enough of my life for all of them. I even began taking time away from sleep. Whenever I turned on computer games, I lost all sense of time and remained occupied with them from morning until morning.

I wonder how Jesus would evaluate this if He came while I was engaged in these activities. Somewhere deep in my soul I understand that something is wrong, but I will wait until the Lord Himself shows it to me.

It is strange that He has not come for so long. But I can read about Him.

I read, study carefully, discover many things for myself, and begin to see astonishing truths. I try to pray, and it works. Then in prayer I decide to ask Him why He has still not come to my home, although I am ready for His visit. In a dream the Lord answers me: “I knocked, but you did not hear. I called you by name, but your television was louder.” I awaken in a cold sweat. What should I do? Jesus is never mistaken. But how can I live in silence? I decide to replace all my songs and films with Christian ones. From across the Internet I begin collecting everything filmed and sung about Christ. I listen, watch, and wait for Jesus, but He still does not come. I find Christian computer games, and now I play while learning the truth. Something begins to settle in my mind.

Yet Jesus still does not come to me.

What other good thing could I do so that He would consider it an honor to come to my home? I need to surprise Him somehow. I have an idea! I will take money and gifts to an orphanage. Surely that will attract Heaven’s attention to me. I do it. Silence again.

Most likely, I have misunderstood something.

But the message concerning Christ’s desired visit gives me no peace. I want to understand the reason and discover what I am doing wrong. Perhaps something is wrong within me.

I decide to ask Christ personally why He has not come to visit me.

I begin to pray. I ask for the gift of repentance and understanding. Once again, the Lord gives me a revelation in a dream: “I knocked, but you did not hear.”

Now I am completely confused. I decide to watch nothing and play no games. I sit and wait. I hear a quiet knock but pay no attention; God does not knock that way. The knock comes again. I will see who is there. I approach the door and hear a gentle voice calling me by name. I open the door, and Jesus Himself is standing there. I invite Him into the house and immediately to the table. I begin telling Him everything I watched and listened to during those days. Sadly, the Lord states that throughout all the time I was occupied with myself, He had been knocking and calling so that He might enter. My astonishment knows no bounds. How could this be? He explains that while my mind receives food from another source, God can give me nothing and do nothing for me. The Lord will not share His place with the world. But I do not go out into the world; I sit at home and observe what is happening. Is that wrong? Jesus helps me understand that my mind is like a vessel. Whatever is placed in it will remain there, and nothing else can fit into a pitcher that is already full. My vessel is filled with everything indiscriminately.

I decide to cleanse my heart from the filth of this world. I find training programs on this subject. I study and exert tremendous effort. I will prove to everyone that I too can do something to achieve my own purity.

But then I notice strange things. I try to forget everything I once watched and heard, yet it continually rises in my memory and entices me. I think about good things, but evil scenes from my favorite films return whenever I need to make the right decision, and I become confused about what is actually right. My favorite actors presented quick solutions to every problem so convincingly that at times I hesitate to choose God’s way because it is so difficult and narrow, with so many dangers and pitfalls. Yet I long so much for Eternity. They say that heavenly music is always playing there.

Oh, music! It is a world of its own. I simply cannot live without it. Life loses its beauty. Music fascinates me with its notes and captivates my mind, immersing me in a world of sensual pleasure and memories. I have become so accustomed to living in it. Some people say that not all music is beneficial. They understand nothing. Still, I wonder what Christ likes. How can I understand His taste? I will ask Him.

Again I have a dream in which I see only two sources of music that are completely unlike one another. One is pure and melodious, draws the mind toward thoughts of Heaven, and sings of God’s love for humanity. The other contains everything indiscriminately and even incorporates elements of Divine harmony in order to attract inexperienced minds and capture them in its snares. Who will deliver me from this web? I have entangled my mind so thoroughly that I can no longer do anything myself.

I call Jesus for help. I promise not to watch or listen to anything unclean, and I remove all this rubbish from my home. I weep because of my helplessness. I understand that by myself I can no longer change anything within me, but I believe in the One Who Is Love and can do far more than I can imagine. I surrender my will into His hands and begin learning melodies of love that are new to me. An unexplored world opens before me.

1. Was anything new revealed to you in this lesson?

2. What prevents Jesus from entering my life?

3. Why does the Lord respect my choice and refrain from imposing His blessings?

4. Does music affect my spiritual health? How can I distinguish bad music from good music?

5. Does Jesus knock at every heart?

6. Does Jesus enter the home of everyone who waits for Him in his heart?

7. Please read Revelation 3:20; Luke 23:8–9; Ecclesiastes 2:8, 11; and Philippians 4:8 in the light of our lesson.