Hearing His Voice #195

[Paul and Silas] headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there.

Acts 16:7

George Müller tried several times to become a missionary, but the doors always closed. His father opposed his plans, a war broke out on one of his intended fields of service, and a mission agency declined his application. Many years later, he would travel the world as a speaker, but for decades, he was limited to his adopted home of England—where he began orphanages and developed a ministry with a huge impact on society. His closed doors led to fruitful, life-changing work where he was.

Nearly everyone has experienced a time when we’ve sensed God’s leading and then found opposition at nearly every turn. Sometimes that opposition is from the enemy, but sometimes it’s from God. Paul’s work was redirected by the Holy Spirit, who would not allow him to go farther north into Asia, and he was then given a vision of a Macedonian pleading for him to come to Europe. In Revelation 3:7, Jesus is depicted as the one who opens doors no one can shut and shuts doors no one can open. Doors can shut emphatically on our plans, even when we thought they were God’s plans. And if He is the one who shut them, no attempt to open them by faith will work.

God often speaks to us through the open and shut doors of our lives. We have to be discerning; many open doors are temptations, and many closed doors will open like the Red Sea if we believe and move forward. But when God firmly shuts us off, we will always be able to find Him leading in another way. That may take time, but new doors inevitably open. He will direct us down paths we never knew existed. And He will open opportunities that are far better than the ones we thought we understood.

Jesus, You are the Master of my doors. Father, my times are in Your hands. Holy Spirit, You promise to direct my paths. I trust You to close every door that isn’t Your will, open every one that is, and give me discernment to recognize the difference.