Sunday, April 26, 2009

Closed Doors - Open Doors


The Henderson house was up for sale, and we had really thought that it was the house for us. We knew they had received an offer to purchase. We continued to trust in God’s timing. At the time, I was away in Toronto at the Leading Women’s Conference. While I was there, following a time of worship, we were told to break into groups of two, and pray for each other. I prayed with another woman, and when she prayed for me, she prayed “Lord, open doors where they need to be opened and put a stop to things that you need to stop.”  When I came home from Toronto, I drove past the house on Henderson, and noticed it had a SOLD sign on it. God had put a stop to this. I continued to have peace.
Right around that time, I got an email from a woman from my church, named Charlotte.  She encouraged me with words from a book written by Charles Swindoll.  I would like to share her email here.
Charlotte wrote: I recently read the book THE MYSTERY OF GOD’S WILL by Charles Swindoll, an amazing book. There is one chapter on “Closed Doors, Open Doors” that was enlightening. In Revelation 3 we read, “He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens…” Under a heading of guidelines he (Charles Swindoll) lists several observations that have been of help and I would like to list them:
  1. Since God is sovereign, He is in full control
  2. Being in full control, God takes full responsibility for the results
  3. The closing of a good opportunity occurs in order to lead you to a better one
  4. Not until we walk through the open door will we realize the necessity of the previously closed one
Charlotte continued: To me this is amazing. God is in control. He will open doors as He sees the bigger picture. So all the best with your (or should I say God’s) project. His timing is always right.”
There was so much that impressed my heart at that time. I realized that I needed to be like Abraham who chose to follow God even when he didn’t know where God was leading him. Surrendering our life to God means being led into a relationship with God that offers safety and helps us reach out to others.
There were some words on the back cover of a book that spoke to me. You see I was realizing that God uses ordinary people for His glory. I also realized that I was growing in my relationship with the Lord as a result of the Vision that He laid on my heart. The book cover, from the book IF YOU WANT TO WALK ON WATER YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE BOAT says it like this:
Deep within you lies the same faith and longning that sent Peter walking across the wind swept Sea of Galilee toward Jesus. In what ways is the Lord telling you, as he did Peter ~ “Come.” Consider the indredible potential that awaits you outside your comfort zone. Out on the risky waters of faith, Jesus is waiting to meet you in ways that will change you forever, deepening your character and your trust in God. The experience is terrifying. It’s thrilling beyond belief. It’s everything you’d expect of someone worthy to be called Lord. The choice is yours to know him as only a water-walker can, aligning yourself with God’s purpose for your life in the process. There is just one requirement. If you want to walk on water you’ve got to get out of the boat. Or as my friend Lynda said to me, “All I can say is, fasten your seatbelt, you’re in for a ride!”

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