There is a common saying one might hear: “God never closes a door that He doesn’t open a window” (or some form of that). As far as I can surmise, there doesn’t seem to be anything theologically wrong with that statement.
But I still struggle with it.
Like I said, I don’t necessarily struggle with it because it is wrong. I struggle with it because I have trouble recognizing open doors. I lack discernment sometimes.
Let me explain.
People say we ought to walk through open doors. But how do we know doors are open, and how can we tell whether it is God opening the door or if it just our own making? I’m guilty of bashing doors down, of not waiting on God to slowly open the door or to make it very clear to me to wait.
The church at Philadelphia (Rev.3:7-13) was faced with an open door. Least that is what verse 8 says. We are not told what that open door is. The Apostle Paul speaks about open doors in I Cor. 16:9 where he says, “for a wide door for effective service has opened to me…” In 2 Cor. 2: 12 he says, “Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord…” He also speaks of an open door in Col. 4:3. So, could the Philly church have an open door to share the gospel? To influence their community? To take a stand which would bring people to their knees? We aren’t told.
What we are told is that they were to remain faithful. To step through the open door. To stand their ground.
What a challenge for any church! For any individual follower of Jesus! See the open door. Walk through it. Trust God to give you the strength to remain faithful.
“Father, help me to keep my eyes open today for any open door there may be. Help me not to break them down, but to follow you and gently turn the knob and walk on through.”
Let me encourage you to check out my other blog. I have a song there I think you will like.
Let us not pass through doors without prayer and reflection first.
Blessings, Bill!
Amen to that Martha!
I am going to put a bit of a spin on this… as I have recognized my guiltiness at times.
How many times have I been asked about something and replied, “Let me pray on that”. Usually it has something to do with my committing to my involvement with something.
I have in the past had a tendency to over commit, but on occasion allow the pendulum to swing in the other direction.
I tend to think God opens many doors for us… and sometimes He forcibly shuts certain ones.
Why didn’t I get that job?
Why didn’t that relationship work out?
Why didn’t I when all that money?
I think more often than not, we move forward through life through the doors that God has already opened.
Let me throw out a for example…. “God, should I take out a loan for a vehicle that I can’t really afford but just have faith you will provide?” I think perhaps God may have already answered that question in scripture… We should probably consider the door shut unless we find ourselves with the cash to move forward.
I think the same thing can be said about relationships… “God is it your will for me to marry so in so… Well is the individual “equally yoked”? Are you planning to marry and attempt to change their behavior or relationship with Christ after the fact? I think we have scripture here to reference as well.
Sure there are times where we are given a path that has a fork in the road. There are times we have to weight the options. There are times where society might say to A, while the leading of the spirit says do B… I think in those times we pause, we pray, we act… in faith, that we are doing God’s will… and if it turns out not to be the case, guess what… God still loves us, will still provide for us, has still forgiven us, and will continue to take care of us…
I try not to live my life in fear that the decision I made was the wrong one… Sometimes the decisions I make are clearly WRONG, hopefully I learn from it and move on… sometimes they are just decisions on the path of life.
#1 I always welcome your input. #2 I can see you have put some thought into this. I, too, have seen doors shut but then busted them down due to my own agenda. You have raised some very valid points here Ryan and I can’t argue with them. My only regret is I didn’t mention them myself. 🙂 Actually, I could have but the devotion would have gotten way too long. Thanks so much for putting your words to print.
Father, help me to have the discernment to know when I have prayed about situations, to know which doors you are opening and which ones I’m trying to bust into. I want to always follow your lead, but I know that sometimes that I’m doing more assuming your answers than actually testing the prays to scripture. Father, please help me to have the patience, wisdom, and knowledge to hear your voice over my own.
Your last sentence is really the crux of the whole thing Gail thanks for a heartfelt prayer.
Open doors are opportunities. Oh, how we miss it sometimes. Back in the 70’s-80’s my husband owned and operated a window manufacturing company. In the 80’s the economy tanked and contractors couldn’t pay their bills to Joe’s manufacturing company. Eventually, he had to close the doors. Over a decade later, he told me that just before the economy tanked, he had an offer to sell. A very lucrative offer! However, he didn’t even pray about it or tell me cause he was doing so well. The offer to be bought out was a door of opportunity open to him. He missed it and the consequences were dire.
When God opened the door for me to move to NC, I walked right through it. And I thank Him that I did, for New York’s economy has become so awful as is everything else in the state. Hallelujah!
Its always good to walk through God’s open door but even better when we can look back and know we definitely followed His leading.