Facing a closed door?

The Closed Door

Have you run into a closed door lately and felt frustrated or disappointed? It may be something altogether different than what you think.

I know there are certain things I have been persistently asking and seeking, only to find myself standing in front of a closed door. My first interpretation is often, “No. Your request will not or cannot be granted.”

But I have been looking at this all wrong. What if the closed door is not a refusal, but the threshold of my breakthrough? What if the closed door is the final step before I enter the very thing my heart has been craving?

Jesus told us in both Matthew and Luke:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

In the original Greek, the verbs carry the idea of continuing: keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking. Don’t stop.

Asking

Asking is not a casual request. It comes from deep desire,  genuine craving for something we believe God can provide.

We have to be willing to name our desire without shame. Shame keeps our request unmade and  unknown. 

Remember the blind man who cried out to Jesus? People told him to be quiet, but he cried out even louder. Jesus then asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

Jesus knew what he wanted. But the man had to boldly, shamelessly ask.

Seeking

Seeking means you don't have it yet, but you can see it.

It requires intentionality. It means going after something with purpose and refusing to stop because you have not found it yet. It’s more than just looking.

Think about losing your keys. You don't casually glance around the room and say, “Well, I guess they're gone.”

You search. You look under things. You retrace your steps. You search places you already searched because you know they have to be somewhere.

Jesus tells us to seek with that kind of determination.

And Scripture gives us a promise:

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD.”  Jeremiah 29:13–14

Seeking comes with a guarantee. You will find.

Knocking

We are asked to knock.  This means there is a door and the door is closed.

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9

The closed door, then, becomes part of the process.

The door is not a refusal nor is it the end of the journey. It is the threshold.

What Is Behind the Door?

The parable in Luke gives us an important clue about the motivation behind the man's request.

He wasn't asking for bread simply for himself.

He needed bread for someone else.

This is the heart of Kingdom asking.

In Matthew's teaching, Jesus places this instruction within the context of loving others. In Luke, the man needs something because someone else has a need.

There is a Kingdom principle here:

Love creates doors.

When our asking and seeking are aligned with God's purposes, our desires become bigger than ourselves. We begin asking for what we need to love, serve, provide, encourage, heal, build, and give to others.

God is not merely interested in satisfying our desires. He wants to empower us to participate in His will on earth as it is in heaven.

That is why the closed door may be more significant than we realize.

You may be asking for more because there is more required of you.

You may be knocking because the next level of your assignment is on the other side.

Don’t let a closed door discourage you. Let it inspire you.

Ephesians 3:20 reminds us just how much bigger God's answer can be:

“Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination!”

You may be standing on the very threshold of your breakthrough.

And when the door opens, it may reveal something far greater than the thing you originally asked for because the One on the other side has always seen the bigger picture.

Get ready.

5787 is the year the door opens to those who are persistent and pure of heart.