Open Doors

God opens doors, and He closes doors.

When I was a boy, I was playing hide ‘n go seek in the house. Attempting to get to the “free spot” before my friends, I ran full-tilt into a closed hallway door (running forward while looking backward is not recommended). The next thing I remember, I was lying in my bed at home with the doctor standing over me, asking me questions. My mind was working well enough to know that I was repeating myself with questions about what happened. That was one door I wish God had opened!!!

Once we become Christ-followers, we understand that Jesus “holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.” (Revelation 3:7). You will often hear Jesus-followers pray, “Lord, open the doors You want me to walk through. And close the doors to prevent me from going off in the wrong direction.”

I think we can better determine God’s open doors by asking ourselves a few questions:

Has God already spoken clearly about this issue in the Bible, and am I willing to obey?
I’ve spoken with husbands who interpreted another woman’s acceptance of drinks after work as an open door to pursue her, ending in him divorcing his wife. He got the response he wanted, but it was definitely not God’s open door.
Do I have a confident peace about moving in this direction?
Even with the “peace” issue, we must be careful. It is so easy to fool ourselves. As an example, Jonah fell into a peaceful sleep even though he was running from God. “All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.” (Jonah 1:5)

As long as I’m committed to the bigger issues of living to glorify Christ and make Him known, I can trust that God will open and close doors as He sees fit. For example, Acts 16:6–10 recounts Paul’s second missionary journey. As he headed into Asia, God closed the door. Paul then turned north, but God closed that one, too. However, God opened the door to head straight west to Macedonia. The result? Paul started the Philippian and Thessalonian churches.

We don’t know how Paul realized the doors were shut. But he had peace because he was sensitive to the Holy Spirit, with a willingness to obey.

What kind of counsel do I get from my Christian friends?

I’ve noticed that if someone wants to follow his own will, even though it violates God’s will, he begins to pull away from the church and Christian friends. He knows that he is heading through the wrong doors, but he has already made up his mind. Christian friends and their counsel are other safety nets that God has provided for our well-being.

There is one door that even God is unable to open. That is the door to your heart. You, alone, can open that one and invite Jesus to take over the leadership of your life. Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20). The idea of having a meal together spoke of establishing a lasting love-relationship with Jesus.

If you haven’t yet opened that door, I hope you will soon.