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In the popular end-of-the-world novel, Left Behind, authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins pictured Rayford Steele, exhausted from having kept his plane aloft through the Rapture, coming home to an empty house because his wife and son had disappeared. In the midst of Rayford’s grief he wondered, "Was there no more mercy, no second chance?" The book’s response is Yes, there is indeed a second chance (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1995, p. 102).

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus says, "Please notice, I’m here knocking at your door. If you hear me and open up, I will come in and we can eat together" (3:20). In my experience with God, I must be on my hundredth chance! Here are some of my observations about this picture in the third chapter of Revelation.

First, this is a second or tenth or umpteenth chance. The plea to open up is tendered to a church, to people who already opened up once, or thought they did, and the knocking goes on and on, and on and on. My God takes responsibility to do everything possible to get through my hard-headedness. I can have a second chance any time I want a second chance. I can think of two things that would cause me not to want a second chance: my death, or my putting up so many defenses over time that I cannot even hear the knocking.

Second, all it takes to open up is a willingness to recognize my shortfall. How hard can that be? I already know I fall short in several areas, like loving enough to heal another, loving enough to bring real peace, loving enough to live in abundance. I’ve heard of some very successful people who still worry about who might discover their shortfall; at some level they themselves do know it. So admit it to someone safe! What a relief!

In my experience, the opportunity to eat together with God is worth whatever it takes. The urgency to open up lies in the earlier to begin receiving. Thank God, there are second chances.

You and I are not left behind!