“Oh no! The door I wanted to open for me (in opportunity or relationship) is not opening.”

“Yikes! There is an unexpected change happening (a door closing) that is uprooting my plans.”

We have all probably experienced doors closing in the following ways:

• We were not chosen, but others were. 
• We did not have the peace to move forward in something that looked very positive. 
• Our poor choices closed the door to future opportunities.
• We did not have the resources or money to go through a particular door to better ourselves. 
• Circumstances outside our control closed a door for us. 

The closing of these kinds of doors creates a strong temptation to be disappointed and fearful, but ultimately, I believe it is often part of God guiding us to where we need to be. 

I certainly have had closed doors in my life that tempted me to be greatly discouraged. Here are three out of many:

• Not being chosen to become the senior pastor of a particular church - I sensed God was leading Wendy and me there, but they said, “No, you are not the ones.”
• Wanting to have more influence in a particular ministry - The leadership did not see me as highly as I wanted them to see me, so my role was limited. 
• Having no peace to continue in a job that was providing for my young family - There was not a logical reason for quitting, but the door was closed to continue by my own discernment. 

As I look back on each of these closed doors (and others), I can say this, “I am so glad that these doors closed on me. I became stronger, and God opened better doors for me than these.”

How can closed doors be a blessing to us: 

1. Closed doors can protect us - The grass is not always greener on the other side. Often, a person or opportunity can deceptively look good, when it is not. 
2. Closed doors can redirect us to where we need to be - In Acts 16 Paul tried to enter into Mysia and Bithynia, but the door was closed for him. If he had gone there, he would not have ended up in Macedonia (where he was supposed to be)
3. Closed doors increase our soul prosperity and trust in the Lord - “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5) “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2). Our response to something is ultimately almost always more important than the something we are experiencing.

Truly, closed doors can be a real blessing to us. 

I also want to be clear that I am not saying we should be passive and not knock on doors. “Knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). We are to seek to go through new doors. It is interesting that it says “the door” will be opened to you. It does not say the door you were knocking on would always open. As we seek to move forward in life and avoid kicking doors down to get what we want, we will have the right doors open for us. 

Here are a couple more thoughts on this subject:

• When doors close, we should seek God and trust that He has a better plan for us.
• Sometimes we are so fixated on a door we want open that we do not even see the doors that are already open to us. 

I bless you with the right doors opening for you and the wrong ones closing.