Thank God For Closed Doors!
Revelation 3:7 – “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.”
Today I want to talk to you about standing before closed doors. I know that all of us have experienced closed doors in our lives. For some of us, our closed door was a job that we applied for. For others, it could have been a relationship that we pursued. It could have been a home loan we applied for or even a trip that we longed to take. Whatever the closed door is, was, or will be guess what…. I’ve got good news for you.
Now, I hear ya’ and feel ya’ too. I know you are saying, “Brother Yon, how can you have good news for me when all I am standing before is this closed door? How can you say you have good news for me when the thing that I wanted was denied to me? How can you say you’ve got good news when that was my last hope?” The reason I can say I have good news for you is because first and foremost, that was not your last hope. Secondly, I can tell you I have good news for you because the doors that were closed to you were actually to get you to the “right door.” Let me explain and take a little time trip as well.
Some of you may remember a game show hosted by Monte Hall called “Let’s Make a Deal.” Well, one of the most well-known parts of the game was when a contestant was given the option to go for whatever was behind curtain number one, or curtain number two, or curtain number three. Now behind one of the curtains was usually a wonderful prize, but also behind one of the curtains was a really “crappy prize.” Of course, the contestants had no knowledge of what was really behind each curtain. The best thing they could do was pick a curtain and hope for the best. Sometimes they won, and sometimes they lost.
I share that with you to say this. Sometimes God, in His awesome wisdom and unmatched love, closes doors for our good. I know you had your heart set on getting that job, that relationship, that loan, or that thing, but there was something behind that door that He didn’t want you to see. There was something there that He did not want you to experience. Was it the desire of attaining the thing itself? Of course not! It was the cost associated with “that thing” that you wanted. God wants you to have the desires of your heart, but He wants you to attain your desire with no demonic strings attached. You see, if satan gave you something, there would be a cost to it, which usually leads to misery. But God is attempting to bless you with the desires of your heart “free and clear.” No strings. No catches. No hidden fees or costs.
Proverbs 10:22 – “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.”
As our text (Revelations 3:7) says, “What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” What God has for you, is for you. No one can steal it from you. No one can keep it from you. In His perfect timing, you and the manifestation will meet head-on.
As I look back over my life, I see the doors that God Himself closed, and only now can I thank Him for doing so. I truly thank Him for closing off relationships that I could have had. If He had not done so, I would not have the wonderful wife and three children (2 and 1 on the way) that I have today. I thank Him for closing doors in other areas of my life because many of those closed doors opened the doors to this ministry. And today, as I myself stand before closed doors, I am finally able to thank Him, not only in retrospect but also in the present— “while standing in front of those doors.”
You see, I finally understand that God closes those doors for our good, which shall result in His glory. All we need to do is realize that one closed door is not the end of our journey. If we do that, then we will wind up in the place God has for us. We don’t have to get there today because this race is for the steadfast, not the swift. We don’t have to get there when Bro. Jones gets there because it is not a competition between Christians. All we have to do is get there.
I believe and pray over you that you will not faint in the land of the living and you will see, touch, and experience all of God’s goodness on this side of life. If you stand before closed doors as I do, thank God because behind door number one is the prize we’ve been waiting on, and God the Father Himself is currently guiding us to that door!