Is That Door Opening in Front of You,

 Meant for You?

Do you ever feel as if your window of opportunity has closed? Do you ever feel like if you don’t walk through that door right now, as soon as you see a little glimmer of light peeking through the small crack in the opening, that you just might miss it? Like it might just close before you get your chance?

I’ve been pondering these questions lately, seeking God’s will and God’s answers. What if this is it? I know I have a calling. I have the desire but is this the right thing for me at this time? Is it truly God’s will or are my motives wrong? Does God have something else for me or is it time to wait? Lord, show me through your eyes, let me see your perspective. Swing the door wide open, or shut it so tightly that I’ll know exactly what Your will is.

Opportunities arise but questions abound! After a lot of prayer and Godly counsel, here’s the conclusion I came to.

When God closes a door, He doesn’t always open a window. Sometimes He would have us sit still in the room and wait patiently on Him. Just because God closes the door to an opportunity doesn’t necessarily mean that He has something bigger and better. Sometimes He has nothing. Nothing right then. Something later maybe, but nothing right then. And we need to remember that our ‘better’ and God’s ‘better’ are often two very different things.

We often hear in Christian circles, not to worry if God closes the door because that just means He has something bigger and better and more amazing than what was behind that door He just closed. And sometimes, that is the case. But not always.

Sometimes we have to sit in a dark room for a while before we can see the light. Sometimes God is silent as He wants to grow our faith and trust. His silence is not a lack of love, it doesn’t mean that we are alone. His silence is a time to trust. It’s a time to hope. It’s a time to grow.

Too many times I have been guilty of seeing an opportunity, seizing it with both hands, only to find that God wanted that door closed, but I was too busy trying to keep it open with my foot, then rushing headlong into it, only to find myself flat on my face wondering what happened.

Not all opportunities our ours to lay hold of. We may see an open door and think it is meant for us, when God has someone else in mind. We rush in boldly, not waiting on God’s leading, cutting off others, like a young child trying to push in line to be the first to get their ice cream, fearing that if they are not first, it will all be gone. Guilty? Yes, I am, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

I am so glad that God’s ways are not my ways, and His thoughts are not my thoughts. What a mess I’d be in if I only lived my life in my own strength and with my own plans, without thought of God’s eternal will.

Opportunities will arise from time to time. Opportunities to minister in some way, but keep in mind that the door you see open may not be the door you’re to walk through. A good little saying to remember is this. “Stay out of it unless you have clear direction to step into it”

Pray about each and every endeavour. Get on your knees before the Lord and be serious about receiving an answer. Pray in faith, expecting God to come through. Expecting Him to show you clearly what it is He wants you to do.

And when you see that door closing in front of you, or you see someone else fulfil a role you were sure was yours, then stop. Wait. Rest. Trust. Remember that God’s ways are perfect.

Psalm 18:30, 32 - As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. ... It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

God will open the right doors and close the wrong doors and He will give you the wisdom to know His will, if you trust Him and walk close to Him, listening always for His still, small voice.

Ephesians 5:17 - Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Forget all the quirky little sayings you read about opportunities and seizing the day. Let God be the deciding factor in all of your decisions. Let His will be the standard. Don’t rush through a door just because it’s open. Not every open door is yours to walk through.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let God Plans out Your Days

 

Phew. It’s been quite a day. And we’re not even halfway through yet! I know you understand what I’m talking about. Those days where everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. And just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does.

It’s on these days that we can begin to doubt that God really knows what He’s doing. We know He is in control, but we wonder if He really understands what we’re going through and how much we can really handle. Does He truly understand the stress we’re facing? The anxiety, the pressures, the exhaustion, mentally and physically. Will He be able to help us hold our heads above the waves? Will He keep our feet from slipping?

I’m here to tell you that Yes, He will. Yes, He does. It doesn’t matter what we’re facing, how hard the wind is blowing, how high the waves are, He knows all about it and He cares.

Funnily enough, I only got those first 3 paragraphs written before another phone call changed the trajectory of my day for the zillionth time and I was off in the truck on a 3 hour round trip through blinding rain and slick roads.

Sometimes I’m sure the Lord has a sense of humour. He looks down at us, running around like busy little ants, merrily planning our days activities, possibly without thought of what He would have us do, and He steps in and throws what we see as a spanner in the works, and changes our perspective just a bit, so that we have to rely on Him and trust Him more than we have been.

He gently reminds us that He is in control and that although we feel that we can’t handle the chaos that swirls around us, He is the peace in the midst of the storm. He is who we need to cling to when we’re overwhelmed.

Psalm 61:2 - From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Bad days have a way of reminding us of what is important in life. We tend to think that our nicely laid plans that we have jotted down in bullet point form in our daily diaries, the alerts and reminders on our phones are just the way our day should go. But this is where we’re wrong! Yes, it’s great to set goals and we should. But let’s not be so determined to achieve them that we forget who is in control. Heads up – it’s not you!

There’s a word I want to remind you of. Surrender. Yes, only 9 little letters, but put them together and they hold great significance.

Surrender means to stop resisting and submit. It means to give up or hand over. It means to relinquish possession or control of something, and to give up in favour of another.

Do you see where I’m going with this? We have to learn to surrender our strategy, our plans, even our goals to the Lord. Instead of planning out our day then praying our plan to the Lord, we need to pray that He will show us His plan and that we will learn to be content with exactly how He orders our day.

 Before you open that diary or that calendar on your phone, close your eyes! Sit before the Lord, pray about what He would have you put into your day. Rest in who He is and His faithfulness.

I’m finding that I need to leave a lot more room in my day for the Lord to reshuffle. If my days plans are so cluttered that there is no room for more, I’m going to end up disappointed. Because not only does it become like one of those slider puzzles where you only have one spare space and limited moves, but God sometimes has to throw some pieces out to make room for His move.

We have to stop resisting. We have to submit. Like I’ve said before, it’s a lot more comfortable to come to God with open hands then for Him to have to pry our tightly clasped fists open.

We need to surrender and we need to trust. By trusting God, we begin to relax and wait on Him in faith, knowing that His ways are perfect.

Psalm 18:30 - As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

Isaiah 55:9  - For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Now, I’m not writing this because I have arrived. Oh no! Far from it. I still have my days where I’m dissatisfied with God’s order and I pout and stomp my foot in a childish tantrum, hoping that He’ll change His mind and do things my way. But the older I get, the more I learn about God, and the closer my walk is with Him, the more I feel I can surrender to His will and His way. I trust more. I love more. I rest more. I rely more. I surrender more.

There are going to be days where you feel beaten down, trodden under, pulled in every direction. It’s on these days that we need to trust God more and cling desperately to Him, resting in His arms and relying on His strength to get us through.

Our lives are so full and so busy, but remember that the speed at which we travel is not as important as who is in control of our travel.

Let go of the reins, and let God take control. You will never be able to experience real peace until you fully surrender to His will.

Only then will a calm descend upon your soul. A peace that you know could only come from God. You’ll be able to take a deep breath and sink into His everlasting arms, content in knowing that He will do what is best for you and He will give you the strength you need for whatever your day brings.

It’s taken me 3 days, in little snatches to write this short post, because of the crazy, unpredictable last few days, and every moment that my plans changed, I breathed a quick prayer to the Lord, asking for patience, for strength, for wisdom. And you know what? I’m still here. I’m still breathing, I didn’t faint away, I didn’t fall apart and it’s all because of God’s amazing grace and mercy to me. He is worthy of all my praise. It is nothing I’ve done. All I did was pray and ask Him for help.

1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

And so, I praise Him. I lift my hands in worship to Him. Excited in what adventure God has next for me. A little cautious, afraid, somewhat fearful, Yes! But secure in Him.

Psalm 68:3 - But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

Psalm 68:19 -  Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.