Closed Doors

As I have written in a previous blog, I recently have taught the youth group at my church about how God communicates with us.  One of those ways is through circumstances.  God opens and closes doors to give us indications of what His will is in a person's life.  The most obvious example from Scripture is when Paul is prevented from going into Northern Turkey during his second missionary journey.  Instead God opened the door to go to Europe by giving Paul a vision of a man from Macedonia.

In this water walking experience that my family is going through we have had to look for a new home to live in.  Our landlady called us in February and told us that she needed to move back into her home.  So we have been looking for a cheaper rental home.  It needs to be cheaper because we are not sure what our income is going to be in the future.  A cheap good home for rent is very hard to find.  We want a home that hasn't also allowed roaches to be tenants, and big enough for our children to live in the house instead of in the back yard!

In the past month we have found 4 homes that fit our criteria.  Each time we approached the rental agents we were told that the house had just been rented out to someone else.  Over twenty homes looked at, 4 homes were possibilities and 4 slammed doors!

It is interesting that Jesus also experience the same thing.  Matthew 14 starts out with the story of the beheading of John the Baptist, then tells of the feeding of the 5,000, and then the walking on water event.  Jesus hears about His cousin John being violently executed and tries to go to a solitary place to be alone with His disciples.  But instead He is met by a crowd of 5,000 hungry people!  Slammed door on solitude.  He then sends the disciples across the lake and stays behind to dismiss the croud and get some alone time.  He is able to have some alone time but sees His disciples in trouble on the lake and must go help them.  Slammed door.  He then gets to the other side and according to the Gospel of John, the crowd finds Him again!  Slam!  Slam!  Slam!

But it was after this event that Peter reassures Jesus that the chosen disciples are with Him and are not going anywhere!  John 6:68,69  Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”  Jesus has had a number of closed doors to solitude and instead is rewarded by God with promises of companionship.

Walking on Water means trusting God when doors are slammed that there is something better right around the corner.  I am looking forward to the mansion He has picked out for us!!