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“Let His Love Open the Door:” a Guest Post by Mollie Lyon

By Anita Mathias

 

I met Mollie Lyon, a lover of Jesus from Pennsylvania, through her thoughtful blog comments a couple of years ago, and she has been a faithful and supportive blog reader and friend. I was pleased when she offered me a guest post. 

Let His Love Open the Door

I knelt in the dimly lit sanctuary of my church with my prayer group. The quiet atmosphere calms a busy soul. On Monday evenings, we gather to pray for revival in our church, our country and the world. My spirit is stilled as my mind opens to hear as well as talk to God.

A theme often emerges in our prayer time. This particular night, the love Jesus has for us flooded my soul. I kept praying for His followers to experience the love. I prayed that tasks and busyness for God’s Kingdom would take second place to welcoming Jesus’ love.

The verse from Revelation 3:20 flowed into my mind, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”
Jesus is talking to believers, His followers. This verse is often used in evangelism and I believe Jesus does knock at the door of every heart, but in the original text He is speaking to the church in Laodicea, the church that was neither hot nor cold, the indifferent church.

Has not the Church of today been compared to this? We are rich in the Western Church, are we not? Not just in material wealth, but in educational supplies. Go into any bookstore or online and see the riches of learning about the Christian life.

Yet, we find ourselves indifferent to Jesus Himself.
 Jesus wants to “sup” with us, the verse reveals. Do we not often say, “Let’s do lunch” as a way of securing a friendship? My sisters and I joked, after my father died, that my mother received so many lunch offers at the calling hours, that she could have been out for lunch for a year. Sadly, as is often the case, those offers never materialized because of this world’s busyness. Life gets in the way.

I prayed through this verse. And “Let My Love” that song by Peter Townshend suddenly  surfaced in my mind. Yes, a secular song infiltrated my mind during prayer time. I wanted to sing it, but that didn’t seem spiritual, but I did pray it as the timing amazed me.
 I’m sure Peter Townshend never thought his song would turn up in a Ladies Prayer for Revival hour. I love God’s sense of humor.

I felt Jesus singing to me and to His church, “Let My love open the door; let My love open the door; let My love open the door to your heart.”

As I later listened to the song on Youtube and read the words, I felt they were spoken to the hopeless, the unloved and the lost as well. When tragedy befalls you, don’t let it drag you down.

 This song could very well be sung by Jesus and I heard it that Monday night in a prayer for revival. Zephaniah 3:17 says the Lord sings over you, (and I like the Revised Standard Version) “with loud singing.” One thing that can set you free–that’s Jesus’ love.

So, let His love open the door. Open that door as His love knocks.

Mollie Lyon

Mollie Lyon

Mollie Lyon’s Bio: I love stories and I love writing, but I became a registered nurse out of high school, a dependable source of income. I have been a nurse for thirty one years, and married the same amount of time, graduating, tying the knot and moving to a new state in the same weekend. That plucky spirit of belief in my ability wouldn’t let barriers block my way.

I approach my renewed love of writing that way. I can make this happen. I study everything I can find on writing. The best thing to do, though, is pray and write.

I joke that I was born a Christian and in a cultural sense, I was. My father’s testimony thrilled me, as he lived the life of a born again Christian. I grew to realize that God does not have grandchildren; I needed my own faith. I am thankful for the strong foundation in my upbringing of Christian education, and Christian life, as well.

I have lived in western Pennsylvania for most of my life, except for the five years my husband served in the Navy, when we lived in New England. I have two adult daughters, two cats and a dog. I still practice nursing, but view writing as my vocation. I self- published a novel, Summer Triangle this summer and write a blog Miss Mollie’s Musings at missmolliesmusings.blogspot.com. I plan to publish another novel in January, Main Street.

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Anita Mathias: About Me

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Premier Digital Awards 2015 - Finalist - Blogger of the year
Runner Up Christian Media Awards 2014 - Tweeter of the year

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anita.mathias

Writer, Blogger, Reader, Mum. Christian. Instaing Oxford, travel, gardens and healthy meals. Oxford English alum. Writing memoir. Lives in Oxford, UK

Instagram post 2187417055488451246_1686032450 My day: admiring a Christmas cactus that my friend Judy gave me last year, photographing winter trees from the bedroom window, lunch with Danny, coffee and food with Irene at Brown’s. Some reading, some writing, some weights, a good day.
I am trying to get back into weight-lifting. It reminds me that life is probably designed to have hard, challenging and difficult stuff to keep us strong. Muscle not used simply disappears. The body reabsorbs it! Muscle used paradoxically gets stronger and makes the tasks of our days and lives so much easier. So here’s to a spot of weights, and breathing in and out through them and life’s seasons, challenges and joys... so help us, God
Instagram post 2186714755975443652_1686032450 A sunny day in Porto and Coimbra.
Now back home, back to Yoga classes and the like.
I find if I get a spot up front near the instructor and next to someone accomplished, and follow them as bravely and gaspingly as I can, I get a thorough workout, totally break a sweat, do things I was certain I could not do, and get so much stronger in the process.
A bit like following Christ. Read what he said, take a deep breath and do it as exactly as you can, and you will slowly find yourself becoming a little bit stronger, wiser and yes, happier! My thought for the day 🙂
#porto #portugal #ilovetravel #happiness
Instagram post 2185957583540871908_1686032450 Images from our week in Porto.
Both my grandmothers, for as long as I knew them, were homebodies, spending their days in just one or two rooms.
I love travel, and excitement, and living as big and expansive life as I can.
But I too spend several hours every day in a quiet room, reading, writing, thinking, praying... And in the quiet room, one can interact the best thoughts of men and women down the ages, and more with infinity.. God, The sweet Spirit, The Lord Christ. #porto #portugal #travel #novembersun #marriage #marriedlife #beaches #portoribeira #fun
Instagram post 2180132061531496763_1686032450 Images from the Ashmolean Museum’s exhibition in Pompeii, death suddenly arriving in the middle of hectic life. Leaving in its aftermath particularly fertile volcanic soil.
When we become stuck in bitterness, when we recount the same sad story, again and again, in our own minds and to others... we forget that EVERY death has the potential for resurrection.
Have you suffered financial loss, financial injustice, completely untrue slander, deep sadness, failure? I have. Many humans have.
Give it to God. Give it to God of resurrection. Ask him to bring beauty from those sad, dead things.
The soil in the aftermath of a volcanic explosion is particularly fertile.
God can bring new life and beauty from dead things.
He calls out to sad hearts, "Come alive. Come alive!" #pompeii # Ashmolean
Instagram post 2175440736861042753_1686032450 Thoughts on avoiding the holes we habitually fall into, and BELATED images from one of my favourite active holidays https://anitamathias.com/2019/11/11/an-autobiography-in-five-chapters-and-avoiding-habitual-holes/
Instagram post 2156925313647782363_1686032450 I am inspired and moved by the story of Dirk Willems, a hero of the Reformation who lost his life to save his enemy, and have written a little book about him. 
It's on http://Amazon.co.uk  https://amzn.to/2Bk9Shl  and on http://Amazon.com  https://amzn.to/2VQOSYN 
Please do consider reading it & reviewing it. I would be immensely grateful.  Thank you!
Instagram post 2156141167803371501_1686032450 Okay, an unabashed Latergram on our first day in Iceland in Thingvellir National Park. Isn’t it dramatic.  And a short blog  https://anitamathias.com/2019/10/16/on-checking-in-before-you-fly/ #thingvellirnationalpark #iceland #travel #beauty #joy #adventure #life
Instagram post 2148813562469383835_1686032450 Family walks in assorted parks and gardens.  On my new spiritual discipline of Bible-walking, listening to and engaging with Scripture on the hoof.  https://anitamathias.com/2019/10/06/the-spiritual-practice-of-bible-walking/ #walkingandpraying #walkingwiththeword #biblewalking #walkingwiththelord
Instagram post 2134504882437551900_1686032450 I am in New York for a couple of weeks, for my niece Kristina’s wedding. We are having an amazing time, and I have taken a zillion pictures, and it is hot. So here’s a #latergram album from our trip to cool Iceland last month.  I have also blogged on experiencing deep peace in times of political turmoil.
https://anitamathias.com/2019/09/17/deep-peace-in-times-of-political-turmoil/  #iceland  #ringroad #icebergs #glaciers #glaciallagoon #beauty
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