Today John Ortberg discusses the first two reasons why some doors remain closed to us (Chapter 9, All the Places to Go).
1. Knocking at the wrong door. Pastor Ortberg states that sometimes doors are closed because we want the wrong thing. Throughout the Bible we see closed doors in response to wrong requests. As country singer Garth Brooks writes in his song “Unanswered Prayers”: “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”
2. Doors are closed because there’s something better. John notes that sometimes a door remains closed because there is something better down the road. The problem is that we can’t see it, as John explains:
“It is fundamental to the kind of person God is and to the nature of prayer that God always reserves the right to say no, because he knows what will lead to better outcomes than we do. For every kind of power human beings have access to, we find a way to use it with great destructiveness.”
The author adds that while it’s good to ask God to shape the people in our lives, such requests must not come at the expense of our personal and spiritual growth. Finally, door closings may be disappointing because we don’t get the options we want. But door closings can lead to us finding, or being found, by God.
Today’s question: What unanswered prayers ultimately have led to blessings from God? Please share.
Coming Monday: the new Short Meditation, “Come to the well”
Tomorrow’s blog: A door marked “Grow”