I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. Revelation 3:8 NLT
Think about it. The same door that invites you in allows you to leave. The same door God opens for us can be used to walk away from Him.
The amazing and almighty God who wants a relationship with us values our authentic love, and real love requires freedom. The record of God’s relationship with people shows that God constantly opens doors – doors of opportunity, blessing, relationship, ministry, growth, and even repentance. He is the God of welcome and opportunity. Yet He never forces anyone to walk through them in the right direction. The tragic truth is that the very freedom God gives from the heart of deepest love can be used to turn away from Him and the life He wants to provide.
The younger son in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son is a striking example (Luke 15). His father loved him completely yet left the door open and allowed him to leave. He did not make him a captive or unwilling resident in the house. The son used the freedom given by a loving father to walk far away from all he had been given, ending up in a far country. The door that could have led to a deep relationship became a path to rebellion.
We pray for God to open doors for ourselves and for people we love, but we should also pray for hearts that choose to remain close to Him once those doors open. We all know stories when doors opened for a new job, a relationship, financial success, retirement, influence, or even a ministry opportunity that allowed someone to choose to go the wrong way and ended up far from the best God intended. Every time God opens a door, we have a doorway either into greater dependence on God or greater independence from Him. The door itself is not the danger; forgetting who opened the door is.
The story of the son who walked away is a story of good news too. The son had a wonderful father who was waiting at the door to welcome him back. Even when we use God's open door to walk away, He remains the Father who watches the road, waiting for our return. The father who allowed the prodigal to leave was also the father who ran to welcome him home. God in His grace stands at the open door long before we are ready to walk back through it.
- Father, thank You for the freedom you give me. Help me never to take Your open doors as an opportunity to walk away from You. Help me stay near to You.