Afternoon Thoughts:

When God Closes (and Opens) Doors

When God locks a door, it needs to be locked. When he blocks a path, it needs to be blocked. When he stuck Paul and Silas in prison, God had a plan for the prison jailer. As Paul and Silas sang, God shook the prison. "At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose" (Acts 16:26). There God goes again, blasting open the most secure doors in town. When the jailer realized what had happened, he assumed all the prisoners had escaped. He drew his sword to take his life. When Paul told him otherwise, the jailer brought the two missionaries out and asked, "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). Paul told him to believe. He did, and he and all his family were baptized. The jailer washed their wounds, and Jesus washed his sins. God shut the door of the jail cell so that he could open the heart of the jailer. God uses closed doors to advance his cause. ·                                He closed the womb of a young Sarah so he could display his power to the elderly one. ·                                He shut the palace door on Moses the prince so he could open shackles through Moses the liberator. ·                                He marched Daniel out of Jerusalem so he could use Daniel in Babylon. ·                                And Jesus. Yes, even Jesus knew the challenge of a blocked door. When he requested a path that bypassed the cross, God said no. He said no to Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane so he could say yes to us at the gates of heaven... Your blocked door doesn't mean God doesn't love you. Quite the opposite. It's proof that he does. -God's Story, Your Story: When His Becomes Yours, by Max Lucado