When a door slams shut in your face…

How painful it is when a door, just as it begins to open up, suddenly slams shut in your face!

What a season this has been! I am sure that there are many people out there like me who have felt boxed in, with every single door slamming shut in their faces. Truth be told, being ‘trapped’ in a box when you previously had lots of freedom can make you feel very discouraged.

Does God know that the door has slammed shut? Yes, He does.

So what is He going to do about it?

The better question to ask is, what am I going to do with myself while inside the box? Better still, what would God have me do while I wait for Him to let me out?

Accept that the door has slammed shut

One thing I have learnt over the years is that struggling with God is futile. It is. It doesn’t matter how much we push and pull – God’s purposes will always come to pass. Think about Job, the rich guy in the Old Testament who lost everything in a flash. Even after he lost his children, and his flocks, Job still acknowledged God’s sovereignty. He didn’t have to do that. He could have blamed God, and even cursed Him. But Job didn’t. He instead accepted what had happened.

Job 1:21 “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (NIV)

Accepting that the door has shut and that the Lord allowed it to shut is important, because once you accept the situation, it is easier to hand it over to the Lord. If you struggle to open the door, however, you are in effect telling God that you want to handle things your way and that you will not give Him room to work.

Is there a door that has shut in your face, and you are still trying to open it? Accept that the door has shut, and let God do what He does best.

Give whatever you’re left with behind the door to the Lord

Curious people always want answers even when they have no access to them. I am one of those curious people. When I was younger in the faith, I sometimes found it hard to accept that God closed doors for my good.

When I was set to join university, and I found that my admission letter was for a university that was almost 300 kilometers away, I was devastated and angry with God. How could God do this to me? Why was He sending me so far away from my family and friends, I asked? Well, five years later (thanks to the usual university disruptions), I looked back and thanked God that I went there. If I had gone to university in Nairobi, chances were that I would not have grown in the faith, because I would have not have been stretched enough to need God. At the university I went to, however, I went through lots of trials that more often than not led me to the Lord. I also had the opportunity to meet believers who were older in the faith, believers who were only too happy to welcome me into their fellowship and mentor me. At the end of the five years, I was glad I had gone to that university. What I thought was a closed door turned out to be one of the experiences that shaped me for life and eternity.

Friends, it was not easy to settle in there. I remember that first night I cried myself to sleep and I asked God to see me through to the end of the course, and to graduation day. And He did. I chose not to fight God, instead choosing to trust in His plan for me. God is faithful. I graduated, and the rest is history. More importantly, I grew in the faith. What lay behind the door turned out to be what was best for me.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (NIV)

Let God open the door when He is ready

I have a confession to make. I am not very good at waiting for the Lord to open doors. I prefer to open them myself when I feel that I am ready to see what lies beyond.

Several years ago, I was working at a certain organization and doing quite well, but I felt that I needed a change. The biggest reason for needing a change was that my faith and self-esteem were taking a huge beating, and I felt that I had done my time. So I started looking for jobs.

I was called for an interview at one of the places where everyone dreams of working, and off I went, all psyched up to do my best. What I didn’t know, however, was that the interview was one of those that is done as a formality. In other words, I was just doing it so that the interviewers could say they had interviewed more than one person for the job! The whole interview was a disaster (I laugh when I look back and remember how badly it went)! And the door closed, just like that.

A few weeks later I got another interview opportunity. Now this time I was prepared to ace it. And I did. The feedback was positive and all that was left was signing the papers, or so I thought.  A few days later another interviewee came in and promised the management the sun, moon, and starry hosts, and was given the job! I was disappointed, of course, but this time I told myself that God probably had something more for me to do at my old workplace. So I settled in, got invoked in lots of new activities, got a few commendations, and got my faith back on track.

Then, one day, out of the blue, I was called for the new job. God opened the door when He was ready to do so. Just like that.

From this experience, I learnt what it meant to surrender to God. I had to put my desires aside and ask Him what He wanted me to do. I had to leave everything in His hands. I had to let Him take charge of everything. That was one of the hardest lessons I learnt then, and continue to learn even today. Surrendering to God when it matters most to me is not easy. By the time I am letting go, I am spent, tired, and discouraged. I have only the Lord to hold on to, and that’s exactly where He wants me to be.

Lamentations 3:25-26 “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.  It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Remember that the Lord is good to those who wait patiently for Him, because it shows that they trust in Him and that they are ready to accept whatever He brings their way.

Are you ready to let God open the door when He is ready to do so? Are you willing to stay where you are and continue glorifying Him in everything you do as you wait? Are you also ready to accept that He may never open the door?

Let’s pray together.

Lord, I thank you that you know better what lies ahead for me, and that is why you sometimes close doors that you do not want me to go through. Thank you for the doors you have closed over the years and those you have opened. Thank you for always being there to walk with me through seasons in which I need a door to open so I can get out and fly away. Thank you for always encouraging my heart when I need it the most. I surrender myself to you, and I ask that you take control of my life, and open only those doors that will be beneficial to me, doors that will bring glory to You. Amen.