I once paid a visit to a friend of mine at his home. It was a beautiful and huge house with many rooms and my friend was happy enough go give me and a couple of other visitors a tour. He showed us all the rooms except for one that remained shut the whole time and had a big red "No Entry" sign on it.
That was because that was where my friend kept his eighty-pound German Shepherd. When he told us all that, no one even bothered to check that room out.
It's so funny how many Christians find themselves in a spiritual parallel with this house visit. God takes us around a tour through life and shows us all sorts of wonderful things, but many people keep their eyes glued to that shut door that is shut tight. We want that door opened and we ask God constantly to open it for us, and the sad part is some people pry that door open on our own only to find an eighty-pound heap of trouble pounce on us.
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us that we are to "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." When God closes a door, he closes it for a good reason and that is because He has a path already set out for you. He knows which way you are to go to fulfil His good, pleasing and perfect will for our lives, but sometimes we just want to "lean on our own understanding."
Those shut doors could be anything for you right now. It may be a business venture, a relationship, a ministry opportunity, a client or a job offer. When God closes that door, He closes it because He loves you and has all the best intentions to protect and guide you. He is our Shepherd constantly guiding us to green pastures and still waters.
Often it's easy to fall for the trap of thinking that we know what's best for ourselves. Though are intentions may be right, good intentions without the trust of the Lord can only bring trouble. We must always trust that God knows best because this life was always His from the beginning. When He bought us by the price of His own Son, it wasn't because you deserved it but because He loves you and wants to make your paths straight.
What closed door is God allowing you to face today? Have you trusted in God to open the right doors for you or are you still prying your own doors open?
