“For a great and effective door has opened to me…” 1 Corinthians 16:9

Doors

Let’s pretend for just a minute. Let’s pretend someone buys you a house with a red front door. That door really stands out to you. It represents a new lifestyle. It’s in a decent neighborhood; you might be happy here. But even though it is a free gift, if you agree to take this house you will have to leave your familiar, comfortable home, the place you’ve lived your whole life. And who knows what problems may await you in the new place? There could be leaky plumbing and creaky stairs. There could be dry rot, asbestos, and lead paint. It might be smaller and more confining than it looks. 

On the other hand, the person who bought it is trustworthy. Reliable. Good-hearted. Rich enough to give the best. He’s never steered you wrong yet, but still, maybe this will be the time he makes a mistake. Maybe this time, the red door of the house being offered won’t lead to a place you really want to live.

Entrances. Exits. Portals. Thresholds. Gateways. Call them what you will, life is full of doors, and we never know what is behind them.

What doors has God opened to you? Have you walked through the open doors? Or have you hung back in fear and uncertainty, more comfortable with what is known? Are you prone to think that what is on the other side of the door will cause pain and hardship, or do you tend to see doors as portals to adventure?

Have any doors been closed to you? You really wanted that certain something or somebody, but it was not to be. God closed the gate so you would not walk that path.

Or perhaps it was you who closed a door in life, and now you look back and wonder what might have been.

It’s interesting that “door” means “opportunity,” as in 2 Corinthians 2:12: “Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord…” In 1 Corinthians 16:9, the Scripture says, “For a great and effective door has opened to me…” Paul always looked at “open doors” as opportunities straight from God’s hand.

Is God calling you to open a door? Is it time? Perhaps you know that He has prepared you, but it is up to you to make that call, take that step, walk that way.

Lord, help us see the doors You have opened to us as opportunities for us to walk into, that we might do Your will, that we might grow, and that we might bring glory to Your Name. Give us courage and boldness so that we will not fear what You bring into our lives, knowing that You love us completely. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.