“When one door closes, another opens, but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened.” I’ve seen that quote attributed to several famous people, but whoever said it first, it is so true. When God answers our prayer, He often closes one door and opens another. If we concentrate too much on the closed door, it is obvious God is protecting us from whatever is drawing us inside that door. An open door is an invitation, but we need to be sure it is God who is inviting us to enter. They say opportunity knocks on our door, but so does temptation. How can we be confident about how to proceed? Do we open the door every time we hear a knock? Do we walk through every door that opens for us? Do we try to pry open the closed doors we encounter? Where do we find the direction we need?
I’ve written before about the famous painting of Jesus standing at the door and knocking. It represents the most important knock on our heart’s door described by Jesus in Revelation 3:20. “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” The door in the painting has no handle or knob on the outside. We must open the door of our heart and let Jesus in. Once we have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, His spirit remains in our heart to give us the direction we need.
The closer we pay attention to God’s Spirit within us, the clearer we see what needs to be done and how God is making it possible for us by opening doors and placing people and provisions in our path to help us. I cannot count the number of times I look up and say, “I know that was you, Lord. Thank you!”
One of those times happened very recently when I received an email announcing the 60th anniversary reunion of my high school class graduation. I replied that I would love to be there but my physical limitations will not allow me to travel. In that reply, I mentioned my blog. My former classmate responded about a book she has written about her spiritual journey. That began a very fulfilling exchange of experiences. She sent me a copy of her book; then she read and subscribed to my blog and shared it with others. I immediately read her book, The Sand Dollar Cross. I am sharing it with others and I highly recommend it as a personal account of God’s calling and what happens when we accept His mission. What are the odds that two classmates who were never friends in school would find so much in common sixty years later? Only God can arrange such a meeting and I thank Him for it.
God not only opens doors of opportunity for us, but He provides us with the direction and help we need to be successful so we can give Him all of the praise and credit. Each of us has a journey that is as unique as we are, but every one of them is powerful when shared with others. People can disagree with your “belief”, but they cannot argue with your experience.