Have you ever had someone come to your front door and try to communicate with you through a closed door or window? It is difficult. It’s hard to understand what the other person is saying. Sometimes you misunderstand what is said and sometimes you can’t hear them at all. When you’re trying to communicate that way it can be frustrating.
One day Sam and Laura came home from school and rang the doorbell over and over until I came to the door. They assumed the door was locked and they were calling me to open the door for them. I had unlocked the door for them before they arrived. All they had to do was open the door and walk in, but they hadn’t tried it.
Many of us attempt to communicate with God this way. We have a barrier between us and Him and we get frustrated when we can’t hear Him clearly or even at all. We feel like we aren’t important because He has allowed this barrier to remain between us. Maybe He talks to everyone else clearly, but not us. We need to understand the Lord isn’t the one who put a barrier between Himself and mankind. We’ve done it and we can remove it, but it requires action on our part.
Adam and Eve put a barrier between themselves and God when they sinned in the Garden of Eden [Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:5]. When sin entered the world, a barrier was created between mankind and God. Even as the temple was established, there was a curtain put between man and God [Exodus 30:6; Hebrews 9:3]. Only the high priest could enter behind the curtain and only once a year to atone for the sins of the people of God [Hebrews 9:7]. There just wasn’t daily access to God by the people; however, we have been given access to God through Jesus Christ. When He died on the cross, the curtain was torn from top to bottom [Luke 23:45]. We had a new entry way to the Father and it was through Jesus Christ [John 14:6; Hebrews 10:20]. From that day until now, the Lord has not erected any other barrier between Himself and mankind. If a barrier exists, it is built by us. We can speak clearly with the Lord without having to guess what is being said, but we must remove the barrier. Just as Sam and Laura only needed to open the door, we can remove any barrier between us and God. He has made a way. God has given us the ability and the tools necessary, yet me must put them to use.
1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Could He make it any easier? Then why do we make it so difficult? Confessing our sins to the Lord isn’t a onetime event. We don’t just confess our sins when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior because we’re human and we continue to sin. Every time we sin, we are erecting a barrier between us and God. The way we take the barrier down and have intimate fellowship with Him is to admit our sin and turn from it.
This isn’t always easy to do. In fact, sometimes it seems downright impossible. If this is a struggle you’re experiencing, you’re not alone. The greatest apostle to ever live was Paul, yet he himself said in Romans 7:15 “For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.” In his own strength, he failed also. When he put his faith in Christ and His strength he was successful and we too can do all things through Christ [Philippians 4:13]. We aren’t perfect, none of us. We’ve all sinned and fall short of the glory of God [Romans 3:23]. God knew we would and He sent us a Savior to equip us for whatever we face [Hebrews 13:20-21]. But we must take action. The Christian walk is not passive. It is a partnership.
Are you having trouble hearing God today? Take a moment to remove the barriers in the way. He’s got some amazing things to tell you today and you don’t want to miss it!