January 6 When Doors Are Closed
scripture reading:
Acts 16:5–10
key verse:
Revelation 3:8
See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
Your contract on your dream house just fell through. The promotion you were sure of fizzled at the last management meeting. The person you knew would become your spouse called off the relationship over the phone.
Slam. Slam. Slam. Doors you thought God had opened wide become curtains of steel. What is God doing? What is He up to? Why is He placing me in this box canyon?
Despite your disappointment, remember this: God is sovereignly leading your steps in a path that will bring Him the ultimate glory and you the ultimate benefit as you abandon yourself to His care.
“But the house was just perfect.”
“I desperately need the money that would come from the promotion.”
“I do not know of any other person I could marry.”
From your limited perspective, all of these statements are true. But understand that God alone can see around the bend.
The next time your hopes are dashed and the doors of aspiration are slammed in your face, rely on the all–sufficient wisdom of God, who alone knows the end from the beginning.
Lord, my perspective is limited, so I need You to open the doors I am to walk through this day. Close the doors that You do not want me to enter. Help me understand that closed doors are just as important as those that are open to me.
Charles F. Stanley, Enter His Gates : A Daily Devotional, January 6 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1998).
