Open and Closed Doors
What He opens, no one can close; and what He closes, no one can open.
Revelation 3:7 NLT
My oldest brother, Christopher, is known for his “man cave.” Well, actually, it’s just his garage; but this ain’t no ordinary garage, folks. It has high-definition television screens, a full-sized dining table, and a ridiculously decked-out refreshment center. But is there any room for, let’s say, his truck? Absolutely not! Placing cars in a garage is both silly and impractical in my brother’s world—who does that?
Christopher’s garage, though, is the place where meaningful memories are made. It’s where he met both of my babies, and where I met his. It’s where we’ve spent countless hours watching college football and major league baseball games. It’s where we’ve discussed life’s joys and hardships until the wee hours of the morning. People will often show up uninvited and unannounced, mainly because the atmosphere is truly so special. However, my brother has one rule: “If my garage door is open, it’s open. If my garage door is closed, it’s closed.” He has full control of that door—and yes, he loves us, but this unbendable boundary is healthy for everyone.
We love it when God opens doors of opportunity in our lives. We enter with excitement and anticipation, ready to experience an overflow of blessings. However, in our entitlement, sometimes we interpret a closed door as rejection from something we deserved. We deserved that promotion, but someone else got it. We deserved that new house, but our application was denied. We deserved that fairy-tale relationship, but it ended in heartache.
Satan, being the liar he is, likes to use these situations to twist our thinking, sour our attitude, and crush our confidence. However, here’s the truth: a closed door is not due to God’s inaction, it’s due to His protection in action.
If you’re struggling with confidence today, if you painfully face-planted into a door you expected to seamlessly walk through, let me ask you this:
Do you believe God is all-knowing?
Do you believe He knows what’s best for you?
Do you believe He wants you to live a healthy, purpose-driven life?
His all-knowing power is there to provide for you and to protect you. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is!
God, I trust You. May not my will but Yours be done. Amen.
This is an excerpt from A Confidence That Changes Everything: Devotions to Shine Bright in This Topsy-Turvy Life, the new book by Hannah Crews!
