Open Or Closed
Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8
You ever find yourself having situations that seem opposite but, are the same? For example, jazz is one of my ‘go to’ moves when I want to relax and find peace. Certain favorite artists have this mellow connection with me, and I can play some of their songs I like in my head. When it happens, I can feel my heart rate temper down and my mind starts to unwind. And when I’m alone in the house, I’ll turn it up loud so that each of the instruments playing becomes that much more distinct. It’s as if I am in the concert hall for an audience of one. There is no greater feeling for me than that. However, there are other times, I enjoy the utter quietness of the household. Sometimes I will be up late at night when the entire household is asleep, and I will have nothing on. I will enjoy those moments, becoming sensitive to the little creeks of the house when the furnace turns on or even when my wife turns to the other side of the bed. There is a relaxing inner-peace the comes over me. So here they are. Loud jazz and utter silence. Two opposite ends of the spectrum, and yet, both take to a place of peace and tranquility.
On a side note, one might ask, “Kent, isn’t God our peace?” The answer is of course! So why would those things relax me and not praying to God? I would argue that it is those times of peace and tranquility that I connect best with God because I am not longer cluttered with things that distract me from Him. The anxiousness of work, the demands of my family, and even the distractions of people running around in the house are things that I appreciate because they are reminders of the abundance of blessings God has given me. However, they are not opportunities where I can clearly focus on God, and here is an important thing to note. If I cannot find intentional ways to focus on God, how real can He be to me when everything is distracting me from Him? Isaiah said, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isaiah 26:3) Now I know this devotion is not on peace, but I wanted to ensure understanding of whether God is truly my perfect peace. As the younger generation would say, “Don’t @ me.” But I digress. The devotion is about where two opposite messages can seem the same. This brings me to today’s verses and how open and closed doors are both God’s doing.
All because you are knocking on the door does not mean God will open the door to what you think He will. Here we go with this debate. “Kent, Jesus literally says here, “(T)o everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”” A bit of spiritual maturity is needed to understand this. During my Bible study, we talked a bit about transitioning from the adolescent God (i.e., Jesus loves me. Yes, I know) to the mature God (i.e., the Great Commission). Jesus is saying we will receive what we ask for. However, He is not necessarily saying this as a ‘God I want to win the lottery and He will eventually do it’ thing. That’s the ‘adolescent’ version of God. A preacher this weekend talked about being thankful for closed doors. So now there is a preacher saying one thing, but God’s word clearly says the opposite, right? But what the preacher was getting at is that sometimes, God closes a door in your view to open the door for a better view. It’s more like a ‘God I want to win the lottery and He will give me an abundance of riches’ thing. You might be asking for a spouse, and God might keep the door closed when He’s preparing for that spouse to be in your life for all eternity before opening the door. It is about timing: God’s and not ours. Here’s where two different things are the same thing. Regardless of if the door is opened or closed to us, He is opening a door for us. It just may not be what we expect it to look like. Therein lies the ‘mature’ version of God.
Things will always be consistent when we view it from a God-centric lens. We might complain when things do not go our way and be excited when they do. But we should, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) God is always looking out for our best interest. That is why we must trust God that when we pray for an open door, it will open. Whether it is a right away or one we have waited endlessly for, let us appreciate that God not only hears our prayer but also opens the right door even if it is not the one we expected. What door are you asking God to open for you today? Are you trusting Him when you keep knocking? My prayer is we know God has our best interest at heart whether the door is open or closed. Amen.