“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close..” ( Revelation 3:8, NLT).
When Abraham asked his servant to go to “my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac” (Genesis 24:4), he needed a door opened, for the servant was venturing into a strange land. Just as he arrived at the town of Nahor, “Then he prayed, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham’” (v. 12). God heard the prayers of Abraham’s servant. Not only did he meet Rebekah at the well, but she was willing to go back with him. “So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men” (v. 58).
After learning of a plot to exterminate her Hebrew people from her uncle Mordecai, Esther decided to go before King Xerxes. Yet there was great risk, for “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives” (Esther 4:11). Esther, together with her maids, took three days and nights of dry fasting (Esther 4:16). Then she decided to approach the king. When the king saw her, instead of turning her away, he greeted her with favour: “Then the king asked, ‘What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you’” (Esther 5:3). She had prayed for a door to open, and God had heard her.
The Apostle Paul often spoke of doors opening in his ministry. He wrote to the Corinthians: “But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:8–9). Paul knew that when doors opened, he could carry on God’s mission in his life, in spite of any hardship.
Like Abraham’s servant, Queen Esther, and the Apostle Paul, you too can pray for doors to open in your life. It could be a job opportunity, a meeting with a high official who holds power, or a court case hearing for a pressing matter. The same God who opened doors for these will also open a door for you.
Reflection: Am I trusting God to open doors for me even against all odds?
Prayer: Almighty God, You who hold the key to open any door, today I pray that You open those doors I need in order to move ahead. May the favour that went with Abraham’s servant and Queen Esther go before me, that I may find a wide door opened for me to be successful in Your calling. This I pray in Jesus’ name!
