Has God ever shut a door in your life?

Sometimes God shuts a door in your life.

Or...He makes a donkey speak. Numbers 22

Or...He creates a storm and makes a fish swallow you.  Jonah 1 and 2

Or...He blinds you by a great light.  Acts 9:3

Or...He drops a sheet of animals, reptiles, and birds in front of you.  Acts 10:14

Or...He allows His Spirit to forbid us to do things.  Acts 16:7

God uses all sorts of things to alter our direction.  The scripture is full of stories where God changes the direction of Humans.  Why does He do that? 

GOD CHANGES YOUR DIRECTION BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU AND HAS A PERFECT PLAN.

When he changes our direction it’s because the direction we were heading wasn’t where He wanted us to go and by His love He wants us to be in His perfect plan.

Sometimes He does this when our heart is not right and our intentions are not pure.  Thank God for these moments.  By His grace and mercy He has saved you from experiencing less than His perfect and good will, even when you wanted and thirsted for what was down that road.  This happens a lot when we get off track.  It’s an act of discipline and grace. 

But that’s not really want I want to focus on today.  What about when He shuts the door when our hearts are right and our intentions are pure?

Sometimes God shuts the door when we are heading a direction for the right reasons...our heart was right, our intentions were pure, but God stepped in to make a change.  Thank God for these moments too!  Because by His grace and mercy He has also saved you from experiencing less than His perfect and good will, even when you wanted and thirsted for what was down that road.  God has something better than what you thought! 

You know, having a right heart and pure intentions don’t always guarantee that you are on the right path to God’s good and perfect plan.  But you can also be on the right path of God’s pure plan with the wrong heart and impure intentions.  The key is to being on the right path with the right heart.   When you are there, know that God has something that will bring Him greater glory than what you originally thought and will serve His purposes in a greater way.

These door closing moments are when our faith is greatly tested.  With a willing and right heart and pure intentions you faithfully began walking down a road only to discover that it was the wrong road. Now, with the same willing and right heart and pure intentions you must also faithfully trust Him to get off that road, no matter the cost.  To stay on that road (even if your reasons seem justified) is to then be on the wrong road now for the wrong reasons.  Our ways aren’t always His ways (Isaiah 55:8) and we have to be willing to adjust our ways when we discover that they aren’t His ways.  Some times this can be heartbreaking, hard, and may not seem fair (especially when He doesn’t shut the same door on others), but in the end it’s always good.

It’s about His perfect and good plan.  Every step that He leads us to take is about His Glory and His Plan.  Obedience and trust get you there.   

Sometimes we just have to remind ourselves that “it’s not about me, it’s not about me, and again it’s not about me.”  We exist to bring Him Glory, to be His hands and feet, to do His work, and to accomplish His purposes.  When God changes your direction be grateful, because He is trying to get you to the right place where you can bring Him the greatest Glory, most effectively be His hands and feet, fully do His work, and to joyfully accomplish His awesome purposes.