Hearing His Voice #233

What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open.

Revelation 3:7

Sometimes we attempt to go through an open door, and God shuts it. And sometimes we come to a closed door, and God opens it. So neither an open nor a closed door initially tells us anything about God’s will. But when those doors remain open or closed, even after we’ve prayed with faith and patience, it may be time to consider whether God is using those doors to direct us.

God may speak through the opportunities set before us. His voice is often in the opening and closing of doors. Not every open door is His will, nor every closed door a denial—after all, the Red Sea was a tightly closed door when Israel first came to its shores, as were the walls of Jericho when the people came toward the city. We have to be careful in making assumptions about situations that seem impossible.

God orchestrates the circumstances of our lives to lead us down the right path. He may direct us toward a closed door, but He will open it in His timing if it’s His will for us to go through it. Our eyes may light up when we see an open door of opportunity, but God will close it in His timing if it isn’t the opportunity He means for us to pursue. As much as we long to hear His voice before we move, we sometimes have to move and find out on the way whether we can pass through or not. He speaks through the doors of circumstance, and we can learn how to discern them.

Take great comfort in the fact that you can’t force your way through a door that God has closed nor be blocked from a door He has opened. No one can undo His will for your life if you are trusting and following Him. He will open the right way for you in His time.

Lord, please open every door I should go through and close every one I shouldn’t. And if I find more than one door open, give me the wisdom to know which one to choose.