A Prayer for the Door that Was Closed
By Lynette Kittle
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” - Matthew 7:7
If you’ve been around cats much, you’ve probably noticed how they don’t like closed doors. Cats can have every door in a home opened to them except one, and it will be the door they sit in front of and plead to be opened, even seemingly devising ways to get through it. Still, before criticizing cats for their fixation on a closed door, consider human nature. Doesn’t it sound familiar, like a garden full of lavish fruit except for one forbidden tree? Instead of enjoying all the other fruit in the garden, Adam and Eve wanted to taste fruit from the one and only off-limits tree.
When we’re faced with a closed door, it might be beneficial for us to consider both Adam and Eve’s story, and maybe even cats, too, because God sometimes reveals truth to us through them.
What Makes a Closed Door Seem So Irresistible?
Although I didn’t observe Adam and Eve’s reasoning firsthand in the Garden, I have observed our cat, Panda’s, behavior concerning a closed door. She could go into any room in our house except the garage, yet she would sit for hours in front of it, meowing at the door and pleading with us to open it for her. Not knowing how cats think, I’m wondering if Panda thought of it as a wonderful, mysterious place to go. Of course, as a cat, she didn’t possess our knowledge and understanding of the dangers it held for a small kitty like herself, such as sharp tools, cars driving in and out, and escaping into the wild outdoors.
Listening to her sit there for hours crying to go through the closed door, when she had every other door in the house open to her reminded me of myself at times. How often, when the door closes on what we consider a great prospect in our lives, whether it’s a new house, relationship, job, or position, does it become the primary thing we choose to think about, even fixating on it and spending all our time dwelling on it?
Closed Doors Don’t Mean We Aren’t Loved
We closed the door to Panda because we love her and want to protect and keep her safe. Yet, when God does the same for us, it’s often hard for us to believe He loves us. Rather, we tread through feelings of distraught, disappointment, heartache, and hopelessness at losing an opportunity. Sometimes, we even blame God or hold Him responsible for withholding good from us.
But Psalm 84:11 describes how, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
So perhaps, like Panda, at times we’re unknowingly asking God to open a door that could lead to destruction and cause more pain than we can imagine. So is it a lack of faith and trust in God to dwell on closed doors and question His leading in our lives? Like we wish Panda would trust us and accept the closed door for her own good, God wants us to do the same. Instead of letting regret torment us with the “why nots” of losing an opportunity, we should rather choose to walk away from closed doors, trusting His wisdom in the situation, knowing that He loves us and has better plans for us.
In facing a closed door, we can choose to turn and walk away, believing that if God had wanted it for us, it would have opened. And if He didn’t want it opened, then it’s for our good.
God Understands the Significance of Opened and Closed Doors
God understands, too, the importance of open and closed doors. In John 10:9, Jesus tells us He is the door, and whoever enters through Him will be saved. So the doors we enter through can have eternal consequences. As Jesus proclaims in Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me.
Let’s pray:
Dear Father,
Thank you for the closed doors in my life, because I know if they had been in your plans, You would have opened them to me. Forgive me for not trusting closed doors to You and for doubting Your love for me, even at times blaming You for my missed opportunities. As well, help me to forgive those I’ve believed closed those doors, seeing they were led by You in their decision-making, even if they believed it was their own doing. Help me to truly believe what Genesis 50:20 explains concerning other people’s actions towards me. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
In Jesus’ name, Amen
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Aliaksandra Ivanova / EyeEm
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
Now that you've prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below!
