Blocked Doors

Have you ever felt like you shouldn't do something? You couldn't put your finger on what exactly “it” was, but you knew at the time, that you shouldn't do that thing you want to do. 

It’s happened to me a few times. Once time in particular, I remember my wife was wanting to go to town when our kids were way younger than they are now… (we were serving in Havelock at this time, so it was a while ago) and she asked me if I was going to go to the office that day or stay with her. I told her that I felt like I needed to go with her, I have absolutely no idea as to why I was to go with her, but it was abundantly clear to me that I was not to stay home that day, that day I was to go to town with my wife and two small kids.  

Nothing at all happened. We went into town, did whatever we needed to do for that day, and then came home. But I felt very strongly that I needed to be with her that day, and not stay home. 

Max Lucado, in his book “More to your story” refers to these types of events as “blocked doors”. You wanted to do something, but you were being held back because it wasn't the right thing for you to do. 

Paul faced a blocked door as well. We're told about it it Acts 16: “Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. 7 Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. 8 So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas.” (NLT2)

Paul and company were machines. They were taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to the new world, and He had wanted to go into a certain spot, but the Holy Spirit, had prevented them from travelling there. 

After that plan didn't pan out, Paul and company tried to go to another location, but again, the “spirit of Jesus” prevented them from going to Bithynia. 

Paul had encountered more than one blocked doors. He had tried twice to enter to different locations, but felt by God not to go there. He came face to face with a blocked door. 

you may feel that you've been come face to face with a blocked door as well. You’ve wanted to do one thing, but felt best if you did something else. slam. 

You wanted to continue on with your education, but life happens and kids showed up. Slam.

You wanted to continue on in your job, which you loved, but, due to heath concerns, door closing. 

When one door closes, it shuts. hard. 

But, if the life of Paul teaches us one thing, its that when a door closes, another one will open up. 

Go back to Acts 16: 9 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.

While Paul had encountered a closed door, twice, he went through another door, and this time walked all the way through the door and welcomed the first European disciple: 

11 We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. 12 From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.

13 On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. 14 One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. 15 She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.” (Acts 16, NLT2)

Because Paul was obedient and listened to the Lord and did not try to ram through a blocked door, God led him through another door, a door that was ripe for the Harvest. 

When God closes a door in your life, chances are He has something better for you. I can’t honestly say what that might be, but if God has chosen it, then you can be assured that it will be just what He has in mind for you. God’s blocked doors are proof that something much better is just beyond the other door.