Closed Doors
1. When God Closed The Door
2. The First Door Was Closed Because Of Sin
3. The Door Of The Ark Was Closed For Safety
4. A Closed Door Of Sacrifice
5. A Closed Door Of Service
6. Happy Independence Day!
7. A Closed Door Of Song And Praise
8. A Closed Door Of Sustenance
9. A Closed Door For Secrecy
10. When The Door Was Closed For One Soul
11. The Door Was Closed To Spread The Word In Another Direction
12. Jesus Is The Door Of Salvation
13. What To Do With A Closed Door
14. God Can Open Closed Doors
15. Doors We Can’t Open
1. When God Closed The Door
My son, Matthew, called and told Michael that he had been asked to speak at a church and he had something in mind to talk about, but God seemed to be leading him to talk about “Closed Doors”. He had a few examples from the Bible and thought we might be able to think of a few more. As we were talking about cases in the Bible where God closed the door, I decided to use that as my next devotional series. I have heard it often said, “When God closes a door, He opens a window.” I’m not sure about that statement. I have also heard, that when God closes a door, we should not try to force our way in that direction, but we should be thankful that He is still leading us in the way we should go. This week, let’s look at some of the closed doors in the Bible.
2. The First Door Was Closed Because Of Sin
God created the first man and woman and gave them a beautiful home in the Garden of Eden. It was a paradise of perfection with everything they could ever desire and they walked and talked with God. God told them not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They listened to the serpent and disobeyed God. They had opened the door of sin and they could not go back to their days of innocence in the Garden of Eden. They were sent out of the beautiful garden and Cherubims guarded the way with a flaming sword so they could not go back. When we open the door of sin in our own life it causes problems, and changes our life in ways that we can’t go back to. Some doors are closed when we make poor decisions and we can’t go back. I am thankful that God gave us His Son Jesus to give us another way of fellowship and communion with God.
“17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:17-24)
3. The Door Of The Ark Was Closed For Safety
The world grew so wicked that God was going to destroy the earth by a flood. He told Noah to build an ark. Noah did all that God commanded him and gathered the birds and animals and his family and food to last for them. When they were all safe in the ark God closed the door. “And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.” (Genesis 7:15-16) The fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened, and it rained forty days and forty nights, but Noah and his family were safe in the ark. God closed the door for their safety.
“5 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.” (Genesis 7:5-24)
4. A Closed Door Of Sacrifice
It is wonderful to give to the Lord. We can give tithes to our church, and we can give to others. It brings a special joy to my heart when the Lord leads me to help someone along the way. But, I can also remember times when a missionary family came to the church, or someone had a need, and we did not have anything to give. I am thankful that the Lord knows our heart, and our situation. He surely understands when the door of our giving is closed. In the book of Genesis, God told Abraham to offer up his son as a sacrifice, and just as Abraham was ready to offer Isaac, the Lord closed the door and provided a ram for a sacrifice. “And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.” (Genesis 22:13)
5. A Closed Door Of Service
I seem to stay so busy! There are so many things that I want to do, that I need to do, that I just don’t get a chance to do. Or, I start to do them and soon realize that I just can’t do it. It always makes me sad and I feel like I failed. But, sometimes when we have that great idea, and we get so excited to carry it out, and the people around us are sharing our excitement, and suddenly the door is closed. This is another case where God knows and understands our heart. Let’s look at King David. He wanted to build a temple for God. Nathan the prophet told him to do all that was in his heart and the Lord was with him. But, the Lord closed the door. David did not get to carry out his plan of service to the Lord.
“1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;
2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.
4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?
6 Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
7 In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?
8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.
10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,
11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.
12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.” (II Samuel 7:1-12)
6. Happy Independence Day!
This week we have talked about safety, sacrifice, and service. Each of these words reminds me of the price that was paid to give us freedom. I want to say, “Thank you!” to all of our service men and women who sacrificed and served to help give us safety in our homes and country. Most of all I am thankful for my loving Savior who gave Himself to die on the cross to give me salvation.
“6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:6-10)
7. A Closed Door Of Song And Praise
I am so glad that God gives us a song. Singing is a wonderful part of our praise and worship to our God. We can sing when we are with a group of people as we worship and praise the Lord and we can sing when we are alone. We can sing out loud, and we can sing quietly to the Lord from within. Singing can bring us joy, but sometimes it seems like the door of our heart and mind are closed to song. One of the saddest Psalms I know takes place as the Israelites were carried into captivity to Babylon. You can feel their pain and sorrow in these verses.
“1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?” (Psalm 137:1-4)
8. A Closed Door Of Sustenance
This long spell of hot, dry weather we are having reminds me of the story of Elijah. He told King Ahab that it would not rain until he said it would. And it didn’t rain for three and a half years. I know what my garden looks like after three and a half weeks of days that came close to 100 degrees without rain and I can’t imagine how it would be to go without rain for years. We are trying to water the garden once or twice a week and have been able to eat some of the vegetables. During that time period in the Bible the people would have had to travel from place to place to find sustenance. God sent Elijah to a brook and commanded the ravens to feed him in the mornings and evenings. (I saw a post online this morning where a person left food for the birds and a raven would bring her berries or leaves in return.) After the brook dried up, God sent Elijah to a widow in Zarephath. God kept her meal and oil from running out until the famine ended. With the prices of everything going up families are having a hard time providing food and necessities. I am thankful that when it seems like a door of sustenance is closed God can help us find help by other means. Another way we can look at this is for our spiritual sustenance. When it seems like the church we are attending no longer feeds us spiritually and we feel like that door has closed, God may lead us to another place of worship.
“1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.” (I Kings 17:1-16)
9. A Closed Door For Secrecy
As we continue with our look at “Closed Doors” we see three Biblical examples of doors being closed for secrecy. The first example took place during the time of Elisha. Before the miracle would take place, the prophet told the widow to “shut the door”. I believe that this was done for secrecy. After you read this story, continue and you will see other examples of when the door was shut for secrecy in the New Testament.
“1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.” (II Kings 4:1-7)
There are times we need to shut the door in secrecy as we see in these words of Jesus. “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6:6) After the death of Jesus the disciples were behind closed doors because they were afraid of the Jews. “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” (John 20:19)
10. When The Door Was Closed For One Soul
After Stephen was martyred, the followers of Jesus were scattered and the Word was preached in different cities. Many people were saved and miracles were performed which brought great joy. The angel of the Lord told Philip to go to Gaza, a desert place. Sometimes we can be in a place where things are going great, and people are following the Lord, and we have great joy, then suddenly the door of our service at that place seems to be closed. I wonder if Philip wondered why the Lord was taking him from a place where he was being greatly used, and sending him to a desert place. God knew where Philip was needed for the soul of one person. The Bible doesn’t tell us what happened next, but I believe that God then used the eunuch to lead others to the Lord. God may lead us through desert places and valleys so that He can use us to be a light for one soul. There may be people touched by our faithfulness in the valleys who would have not seen Jesus in our lives otherwise. We need to stay faithful in the desert places and valleys, for there may be one soul that is watching us.
“3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus: an passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.” (Acts 8:3-8 and 26-40)
11. The Door Was Closed To Spread The Word In Another Direction
There were several young preachers in our youth group when I was a teen. They set up a tent and had tent meetings. They preached and the young people would sing. They also had cottage prayer meetings, street meetings, and visited nursing homes. Our group grew spiritually during those busy years. During one service a young preacher was preaching from Acts 16 about the missionary journeys. In verses 6-8 the doors to Asia and Bithynia were closed. Paul was called to go to Macedonia. After reading the text, the young preacher started shouting, “He went west! He went west!” The Word of God was carried west, where it eventually was carried to Europe, home to many of our ancestors. God closed the doors of Paul’s journey, to open the door to another country. I am thankful that God opened the door of His Word to our country and to my heart!
“6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,
7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.
8 And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.
10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.” (Acts 16:6-10)
12. Jesus Is The Door Of Salvation
Another door I want to talk about is the door of salvation. Jesus is the only way of salvation. He is The Door.
“7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:7-11)
In the letters to the churches we have an invitation from Christ. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20) If you feel a tug in your heart telling you that you need to be saved, please turn to Jesus. Or, if you have strayed away from Christ, turn back to Him. We are not promised tomorrow. Tomorrow may be too late to be saved. Hebrews 4:7 warns, “Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” You can be saved today. Please don’t wait until it is too late.
Admit that you are a lost sinner and there is no other way to be saved than to put your trust in Jesus. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23)
Believe that Jesus is the only way of salvation. Believe that He died on the cross to pay for your sin. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
Confess your sin to Jesus and ask Him to save you. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)
One day it will be too late.
“23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.” (Luke 13:23-28)
13. What To Do With A Closed Door
We talked about several types of closed doors. If I go to visit a friend and the door is closed, what do I do? I knock. In the introduction I said that many say, “When the Lord closes a door, He opens a window.” As I said then, I am not sure about that statement. But, I can tell you what the Bible says about closed doors. If the door of a job has been closed, if the door of a special friendship has been closed, if the door of something we need has closed, we can knock. We can go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him for help and guidance. We can seek His will and wisdom for direction. And we can knock.
“7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
14. God Can Open Closed Doors
Sometimes there are doors that we can’t open and everything seems hopeless. That was how it seemed to the church after King Herod killed James and then put Peter into prison. We are used to walking up to automatic doors in stores and some other buildings, but in the days of the early church doors didn’t open automatically. But, God (those are two wonderful words to couple together when life gets hard), but, God worked a miracle for Peter and the early church and the doors opened and his chains fell off. Even the iron gate of the city “opened to them of his own accord.” God can open closed doors. He did it before and He can do it again! What an awesome God we serve!
“1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto
6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
14 And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.
15 And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.
16 But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.
17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.
18 Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.
19 And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.” (Acts 12:1-19)
15. Doors We Can’t Open
I had a few more ideas for our closing devotionals on “Closed Doors” but the Lord showed me something one night. Sometimes I can’t close my mind after I lay down at night so I try to pray until I fall asleep. This helps me turn away from troubles I may be experiencing or plans that I am trying to complete. At other times I meditate on God’s Word and think about what I want to write in my devotion for the next day. I had been thinking about “Closed Doors” and God showed me a door that we can’t open. At the end of the day I often think about things I didn’t get done. Or something that I said that I shouldn’t have said, that caused a misunderstanding or hurt feelings. And while thinking about those could’ve, would’ve, should’ve thoughts the Lord showed me that we can’t open the door of a day that has already passed. As we go to sleep each night, the door of that day is closed and can’t be opened. We may try to fix things the next day, but we can’t undo what has already passed. But, there is hope. After the end of the day the door is closed, but God opens a new door with the dawn of another day.
“21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” (Lamentations 3:21-25)
