Thank God for the closed doors too

There’s always something about closed doors that we inherently dislike. Most of us have a presumption that open doors in life are opportunities, progress and blessings, whereas closed doors are the exact opposite. Everyone would love to choose an open door. But still, somewhere in life, we’ve experienced closed doors. And staring at that slammed or shut door hurts. When you’re steering through a season of closed doors, it’s hard to have hope, and every closed door feels like a letdown from God. It is at such moments where we begin to question His goodness.

Yet, the thing is that there is both power and purpose in closed doors too. While everyone loves to rejoice when God opens doors, we forget that it takes just as much strength to close a door as it does to open one. Therefore, closed doors are just as valuable as open doors.

When the doors close, we might make an effort to open them without realizing that they were shut for a purpose. In a sense, we knock harder, push and tug, and even climb through the windows anticipating the “open door.” Though much to our surprise, the doors slam shut for good.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

God will shut the door on some things in your life so you can’t go back to them. Thank God for the shut doors. Like for the children of Israel, He will close the Red Sea so you can’t go back to bondage. He’s protecting you, so thank God for the friends that rejected you, for the people that said ‘No’, for the people who walked out on you. Every time God shuts a door, it means that He has something better for you.

No one can close the door that God opens (Revelation 3:8) and no one can open the door that He closes (Isaiah 22:22).

Doors opening and closing can be compared with God’s responses for prayers – Yes, No, and Not Yet:

1. Yes = Doors will open when you ask and pray honestly without sinning (Matthew 7:7; James 4:2-3).
2. No = Doors will shut because God has another plan for you (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36).
3. Not Yet = Doors will open in the right time (Ecclesiastes 3:1), e.g. Paul and Silas prevented from preaching in Asia because their calling was in Macedonia at that time (Acts 16:6-10).

In the end, when faced with our next closed door, we will realize that in the Christian walk, closed doors are just as important as open doors.

Has God closed any doors for you recently? If so, think on which open doors He may want you to focus on during this time.

Plato’s Cave from the light of Christianity

        The Greek philosopher Plato (427-347 BC) in his work, Republic, gives an allegory commonly known as “Plato’s Cave” or “Allegory of the Cave”. This discourse presents an unusual image:

       A number of prisoners are living in an underground cave, dwelling since childhood, shackled by the legs and neck, such that they cannot move nor turn their heads to look around. They can only face the back of the cave. Behind them is a fire and between the fire and them is a raised walkway on which other people can walk. Between the prisoner and the fire, other people and objects passed by casting only shadows for the people to see in front of them. They presumed the image to be real, rather than just shadowy representations of what it actually is. The images on the wall would be so real that the prisoners would take great pride among each other to the one who could recall the most detail about the shapes. Similarly in the outer world, there is light and everything is visible.

       If one prisoner is released from the cave world, his eyes would dazzle in the light. But slowly and gradually he can begin to identify and realize the outer world to be the real world and the cave to be the unreal one. Now he has a better understanding of what was causing the shadows and the noises. The light of the sun would be much brighter than the fire that he would be able to see beyond only shadows, see dimensions and reflection in the water, flowers, trees.

       After learning the reality, he thinks it is better to be a slave in the outer world than to be the king inside of the cave. So he attempts to persuade the people. But the other prisoners pity him thinking that rather than gaining knowledge he has lost his sense. His new-found freedom and attempt to free the others are met with so much disdain and mistrust that they plot to kill him.

       When I read this allegory, I thought about the life of Jesus. He was the one who sought to free people from their captivity of darkness. Ephesians 5:8 tells, “For you were once darkness…”. We, humans, are like the prisoners chained in a deep cave. We are imprisoned in untruth. What we need is someone to free us from our chains, to lead us out of the dark and into the day.

       It is very easy for us to get consumed by the things around us. We can be so centred on the shadows inside the cave, attracted by the promise of prosperity and material goods, that we forget that there is more to this life. Until we come into the light that is Christ, we are still living in a world of shadows and darkness where we think we are safe.

The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)

       God wills for no one to perish by remaining in the cave  (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). Jesus in John 8:12 said, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Everyone can come out of the cave and experience a new life, “an abundant life” (John 10:10). Let us take the light we have received and return to the cave so that others too can experience the beauty of the “Truth” outside the cave, for Jesus has said: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel” (Mark 16:15).

        Father God, grant us the humility to recognize our own blindness and the courage to venture out of this cave of ignorance into the light of your truth.