In our last post, we dealt with what to do when God closes doors. Today we are talking about the doors He opens in our lives. “I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” (Revelation 3:8 CSB) There are times when God opens a door to something we have prayed for and although it’s something we have wanted for a long time, sometimes it can be scary. Then there are times God asks us to step through a door to something we haven’t asked for and for which we feel completely unprepared.
As exciting as it may be to step through a door to something we have dreamed about, taking the first step can leave us feeling uncertain. Just as we must trust God when He closes a door, we must trust Him when He opens one. In my case, I have always wanted to be a mother. My first marriage resulted in no children, and I’ve always felt that sting whenever I saw a newborn or Mother’s Day rolled around. But with my second marriage, my husband gave me an instant family with three children and six grandchildren. In an instant, I was a Mom and a Grandma. I must tell you I am so blessed! I can now celebrate Mother’s Day with joy and pride. Even though the kids aren’t from my body, I look upon them as mine! That isn’t to take anything away from their Mom; she did an amazing job raising them, but I feel like I’ve found a hidden treasure with these kids. At first, I felt a little unsure. I didn’t know how they would accept me as a Stepmom, but it has been amazing! I praise God for allowing me the privilege to experience motherhood, even if it is second-hand, it’s awesome!
When God asks us to step through doors we haven’t asked or planned for, that can be a recipe for pure terror in some cases. When I was in high school, if someone would have told me I would have run a television station and been on radio and TV, I would have told them they were crazy. It was the farthest thing from my mind. But my first husband was the chief engineer of a Christian radio station at the time we met, and when we got married, instantly I was put in broadcasting in various capacities. Eventually, we ended up running a Christian TV station with a staff of volunteers. We had to do everything from running the programs to being on camera. I had never turned on a TV transmitter, run a program on the air, edited programs, run a camera, directed, or produced a program, or been on TV in front of the camera, and it scared me to death! But God was in the middle of it all. For 41 years I had been in broadcasting in one form or another until I retired. It was most definitely a God-ordained pathway. I needed to trust Him when I stepped through that doorway. My first husband’s life verse was 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.” (KJV) He was much better at trusting God’s leading than I was, and I learned so much about how to trust God. I’m not there yet totally, but I’m getting there.
When we place our lives in His hands, we can be assured that He has everything under control even though we can’t see what the next step is or where it is leading. He sees the end from the beginning. He assures us that He will be with us as we follow Him. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 ESV) Joshua was being put into the position of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land after Moses had died. God reassured Joshua that He would be with him every step of the way. Notice, God tells Joshua not to be afraid. I can imagine how he must have felt. The people tended to be rebellious, doing things their own way and grumbling the whole way. He must have felt like, “Thanks God, what am I supposed to do with this bunch of stubborn people?” He also must have felt like he had big shoes to fill. Moses had to deal with these people for 40 years, and he did a good job. But Joshua trusted that God would help him, and he stepped out in faith through that door and was God’s man at the perfect time.
Do you have something for which you are praying to happen in your life and God has opened the door? Has God opened a door for you to go through for something that makes you feel unprepared and uncertain? In either case, trust Him as you walk through it and hold tightly to His hand as He leads you. Know that His plans for you are for your good and His glory (Jeremiah 29:11) and that everything is under His control.
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