Closed Doors Can Be God's Protection
- Darcie @ Leighton Lane
- Sep 23
- 3 min read
"...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."—Revelation 3:7-8 (NIV)
I just knew the new job would be a perfect fit for me. I wasn't even looking for a career change, but the opportunity landed in my lap, and the excitement started bubbling up in me. New ideas and vibrant visions were coming in fast, and I couldn't wait to take the challenge head-on. But first, I prayed. "God, please help guide my steps. Open wide this new door or shut it tight if this is not the path you want me to take."
Surely, I thought. This door will swing open wide.
It wasn't until the day after I received the news that the sting of disappointment started to set in.
You know how it goes at first. You respond politely to the call or email with the news of rejection. You hold back the tears when your friend asks you, "So, did you get it?" You give yourself a little pep talk and brush it off. "It is for the best anyway. God has something better waiting for me around door number two or perhaps, number one hundred."
But the second day, that's when you let the tears fall and you binge eat ice cream until you have a headache and stomachache simultaneously (ok, maybe that is just me). You know what I mean, though. No matter how much we pray and say we will trust God's plan, getting a "no" still hurts at first—disappointment stings. And it is perfectly acceptable to feel these emotions. God gifted us with emotions after all.
But how long do we allow ourselves to sit in disbelief and grieve the fact that God's plan wasn't the same one we had? Do we wait until God opens the next door or perhaps a window, like the old cliché says, "When one door closes, a window opens."
While there is some truth to the notion that most rejections turn into redirections, God often uses closed doors to protect us and guide us to safer paths. We don't know what God knows. We do know his ways are always higher (Isaiah 55:8-9). We can't foresee the future, but we can trust the One who can.
We can choose to see all closed doors as an opportunity to grow our faith and trust in God. We can choose to work in the waiting period and trust that the closed doors are for our protection and good.
I'm still waiting for the next open door in my career, but I did get confirmation that the door God closed was for my protection. The nonprofit I was set to work for closed its doors, literally. God saved me from financial uncertainty and the devastation of losing a job. He protected me from a more profound hurt than rejection.
Friend, if you are currently staring at the back of a closed door, know that there will be another open one. It may not look anything like you imagine, but rest assured, God's path is perfect. Let's choose to lean in and surrender our plans to God's will.
Questions for Reflection:
When your plans get derailed, what helps you move from disappointment to accepting God's plan best?
Are you struggling to trust God with your plans when the doors keep closing? Ask God to help you trust him with the things you don't understand?
Please Pray:
Dear God, thank you for protecting me and guiding my steps. Help me to see closed doors as an opportunity to grow my trust and faith in you. I know that your ways are higher and only you know what lies ahead. I choose to surrender my plans to your purpose, knowing that you will open the doors that lead to your glory. Make known your path for me. I love you, Lord. Amen.
Originally Posted at part of Crossmaps' Daybreak Devotions and Nighttime Prayers.
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