MICKEY BYRNE was a little Irish boy. He had met with a serious accident, so serious that it was only too plainly to be seen that he could not live very long.
One Sunday afternoon, when I entered his ward in the hospital, he stretched his little arms to me saying, “A gentleman was here this morning singing something with these words: “Behold Me standing at the door!” When he was done, he just went away, and I did want to talk to him and ask him three questions. I’m going to ask you now.”
“Three questions all at once, Mickey? What a lot! But tell me what they are, and I will try to help you.”
Mickey started counting them on his fingers,
1. “Where’s the door?”
2. “Who’s standing there?”
3. “Why in the world don’t they let Him in?”
I explained very simply to Mickey that 1) the door was his own heart, and that, 2) the Lord Jesus was standing outside that door, knocking and saying: “Mickey, won’t you open your door, and let Me come in?”
“Now for your third question, Mickey, I am going to use your own words and say, ‘Why don’t you let Him in?’”
Mickey had his eyes fixed on me all the time I was speaking. Then he burst out with these words: “How long has He been standing there?”
“All your life, Mickey. He loves you, and He wants you; that is why He is standing there knocking. Won’t you let Him in?”
Mickey remained silent for a time, then he said: “I guess He had some patience! If I went to somebody’s door, I’d knock once or twice; perhaps I’d knock three times, but I guess I wouldn’t stand there for years. I’m ashamed of myself keeping Him standing there all that time.”
“Mickey,” I said, “if that is how you feel about it, why don’t you ask Him to come in?”
“Could I? Will He come in?”
“Of course He will,” I replied. “He tells us He will. He says: “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with Me.” Rev. 3:2020Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20).
“Mickey, just tell Him what you have told me.” So he shut his eyes and this was Mickey’s prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus, I never knowed it was You standing outside my door. I never knowed I’d a door at all. But I’ve got it open now, as wide as ever it will go! Just You come right inside and close the door tight shut, so that You won’t go out again. I’m ashamed of myself, keeping You standing outside. I guess You had some patience!”
Little Mickey was taken home shortly after this, to be forever with his newly-found Friend and Saviour. But before he died he was the means of getting two other boys in his ward to open the doors of their hearts, and let the Lord Jesus come in. He told his story over and over again, always ending with these words: “Ain’t you ashamed of yourselves? I guess He had some patience!”
Dear young reader, Will you open your heart to the Lord Jesus, now?
S. A. M.
Behold Me standing at the door
And hear Me pleading evermore:
Say, weary heart, oppressed with sin,
May I come in? May I come in?
ML-12/22/1974