“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.—John 10:9
As we are walking through this journey, we will find ourselves in the hallways of many closed doors. The hallways slowly become filled with the echos of our frustration, resentment, and sadness. Closed doors can reflect the shattered expectations and empty hopes that were once desired. It can be heartbreaking and painful trying to carve a new pathway to navigate forward. A closed door prohibits you from moving forward in that particular route. But what if in our road of rebounding, it becomes more about the process of the turning point than the actual closed door? Did you recognize that a closed door initiates a pivot? In the natural, when you encounter a closed door, you pivot back or in a new direction to find the open door. In the spiritual, when you encounter a closed door, God pivots you where your assistance is necessary. After the pivot, God places you where you need to be. You are now walking towards a new door. Many people in the Bible had seasons marked by closed doors. In Acts 16:6-10, Paul experienced the redirection of a closed door.
In this chapter, The Holy Spirit prohibits Paul from entering the providence of Asia to preach the gospel. Paul and the people with him tried entering Bithynia, but the Spirit would not allow them. What has God blocked in your life that keeps you trying to open doors despite the locks on it? God cares so much about you that He goes ahead of you in all things. The way has already been mapped out. God just requires our obedience—even in the redirection. Imagine if Paul had somehow found a way through what the Holy Spirit had deterred—he would have missed the opportunity to preach the gospel where it was essential and necessary. While the Holy Spirit is prohibiting you from opening a door, the process of redirection is simultaneously happening in the heavens and the earth. That night, a vision came upon Paul and he saw a man asking for his presence in Macedonia to help the people there. After this vision, the Holy Spirit pivots them to Macedonia. Why would they be prohibited and pivoted if they were doing what God called them to do? Was that not the goal? Yes, but they needed to be redirected in the midst of their assignment. Sometimes God pivots you in the middle of your calling. This does not mean you were not on the right pathway, but you are required for other works of the kingdom in that moment. The pivot places you in fresh positioning and anointing. They were now placed exactly where they needed to be. Paul and those with him were able to preach the gospel in Macedonia.
God desires to walk with you in the process of navigating closed doors. Through this short passage, we are able to see the significance of closed doors in our lives. Just like Paul you have an assignment and purpose. Your part in the world is so crucial and important that God does not want you to miss a moment. Closed doors redirect our feet in the way of the Lord. There is a plan for your closed doors. Trust the Father as He prohibits, pivots, and places you for His glory.
“God will close a door to redirect your life.”—Unknown
Purposeful Pieces©