When God Closes A Door

“When God shuts a door He opens a window.”

“Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking leave of them, I went on to Macedonia.”

Feel good wisdom tells us that God will allow us equal access to what we want; if we can’t get in through the door we can climb through the window. That is at best childish wishing, at worse, a lie of Satan. I can recount a number of personal experiences where desires shattered. The death of college friends and a close cousin come to mind as does my first marriage. I prayed for years for my marriage to be saved. The only prayer that God answered with certainty was the one I prayed when it was in its death throes, “Lord either save this marriage or destroy it completely. Please do one or the other.” One could argue I suppose that a window was opened though it felt more like being catapulted into a chasm.


God opened a door for Paul and Paul didn’t walk through it. That puts the shoe on the other foot. There are times when neither the door nor the window opens to opportunities we desire. God is big enough to cause all our choices to work for good. He is to holy to say yes every time we get in a jam. Paul chose Macedonia and God honored his move.

At one point Paul saw through a window and experienced a “surpassing great revelation.” As a result he was given a thorn in the flesh which God allowed to persist despite fervent prayer to the contrary. The window did not open for the pain to leave. God did open the door to a life of humility.

God will order our circumstances to His glory and our good. In that sense a window is opened. The path that God opens for us won’t be just another way to get what we wanted. The window may open to paths of pain or even entrance into the presence of God. The closed door may be healing and death the window.

We must be careful to have our healing words come from the spoken word of God and not from the proverbs of Pollyanna. God desires our utmost good when it brings Him utmost glory. We must leave all our doors and windows open to that end.