In the past few New Year’s, I watched the New Year service themes of some prominent churches in India. They come up with very blessed themes, like year of flourishing, open heavens, and such. But, you know what, not even once I heard a theme called, ‘year of closed door’ 🙂 Because we like only open doors. Closed doors are frowned upon as ‘negative words,’ and we get reminded of Proverbs 18:21 – the power of the tongue. Our human mindset is, even when we wait for a door to open, we don’t want the current door to expel us out. Our preference is for the door to open without having to be in the hallway. Most likely, God does not open any doors without expelling us into the hallway, so that our eyes will seek the next door. An open door does not happen when you are within your comfort zone. The descendants of Abraham were promised the land of Canaan. Even though God Himself took Jacob’s descendants to Egypt through Joseph, both Jacob and Joseph prophesied that God will take the Israelites to the promised land. Just as God had told Abraham, that his descendants will serve in a foreign nation for 400 years, the Israelites sighed and groaned in their afflictions by the Egyptians. And God heard it.
If there is one thing that no one can stop, it is God’s favor. Israelites are God’s chosen people. Even when they were stiff-necked and rebellious and tested God’s patience all the time, He never failed to feed them and protect them in the wilderness. If God’s favor is on someone, man’s favor is a perk that comes along with it. Joseph received favor wherever He was put. Even though it seemed like one misery to another, those were the paths that God had ordained for his foretold destiny. Esther, though a lowly and despised beginning as an orphan, God granted her favor wherever she went. The king even offered half his kingdom for her. David was successful in whatever he did. Daniel and his friends received favor with the king. These people received favor in God’s eyes and thus in others’ eyes, because they set themselves apart to be obedient to God, even when they had to take a stand for God and be all by themselves. These kinds of rewards do not simply fall on anyone’s lap. When we take a stand for God, He stands up for us. When God stands up for us, no one can stand against Him.
When a mother is pregnant with a baby, at one point, the baby needs to be expelled out. We, as ‘once upon a time’ pregnant moms, would think about our baby in the womb, and also think of them after they are born, as we make purchases for them in preparation for their coming. We don’t dwell much on thinking of the process of the delivery as it is painful. But, without that painful process, the expelling of the baby into our hands cannot happen. The growing discomforts as the time nears make us long for the baby to come out, even through that painful process. So, yes, hallway is not where we want to be, but as it leads to the next door, my prayer is for a closed door – to begin with.
Revelation 3:7-8 These are the words of Him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
