Daily devotion – God please open the door.
Open Doors, God’s Timing, and Not Giving Up
Have you ever tried kicking a door down? It is pretty hard and, most times, impossible. Even our police force can struggle to gain entry through a locked door, despite having large and heavy equipment specifically designed for that purpose.
At times, when we are reaching out with the Gospel, we encounter what seem to be closed doors. We try to reach someone, we seek opportunities to minister, and yet we find ourselves shut out. Sometimes we are desperate to see someone come to Christ, but every attempt seems to end in disappointment.
After experiencing such times, it is easy to become discouraged, even depressed, and begin thinking that we are facing a mission impossible.
But we need to remind ourselves that God’s timing and open doors are in the Lord’s hands.
There are times when we cannot force a door open because God has not yet opened it. The Holy Spirit must move upon the hearts and minds of those we are seeking to reach. It is the Spirit of God who prepares a person to hear, understand and receive the Gospel.
We also have a very real enemy working against us. Satan and his fallen angels seek to interfere with and resist the work of God as we reach out to those who are lost. There is spiritual opposition to the Gospel, and we should never underestimate the battle that is taking place for the souls of men and women.
So, what do we do?
We pray for open doors.
Paul understood this need and asked the believers to pray for him:
“Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ.”
— Colossians 4:3
What a wonderful request! Paul did not simply ask them to pray that he would be more persuasive or find better opportunities. He asked them to pray that God would open the door.
That is something we need to remember in our own evangelism. We can speak, encourage, invite and share the Gospel, but ultimately God must open the door of the heart.
So let us wait upon the Lord. Let us ask Him to go before us and make a way where there appears to be no way. Let us pray for those we are seeking to reach and trust that, in His perfect timing, God can open doors that no human being could ever open.
And lastly, don’t give up!
Keep praying. Keep witnessing. Keep loving people. Keep looking for opportunities to share the Gospel. A closed door today does not necessarily mean a closed door forever.
We are seeking to see souls saved and people brought out of darkness into the glorious light of Christ. And when we finally see a soul turn to Jesus, every hardship, disappointment, rejection and struggle we experienced along the way will seem like nothing compared with the joy of seeing a life transformed by the Gospel.
Don’t kick the door down—pray for God to open it.
This week, I pray that God will open the doors you have been seeking to go through. May He go before you, prepare the hearts of those you are seeking to reach, and give you boldness and wisdom to share the Gospel.
And may we see a soul turned from darkness to the Light!