When a Door Slams Shut

For years, John Erickson dreamed of becoming a serious

literary author. He wrote manuscripts and sent them to

publishers, and then he waited for the response every writer

hopes response that came back again and again was rejection.

Publisher after publisher turned him down. Erickson took all

kinds of jobs just to make ends meet. He worked blue-collar jobs,

ranch jobs, whatever he could

into one closed door after another. Eventually, he reached

the point he later described as being at rope's end. And that's

when he made a decision that sounded a little crazy at the

time.

Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and

today we're talking about one of the most frustrating experiences

in life, when a door slams shut right in your face. It might go

something like this. You prayed so hard for that dream job, but

they hired someone else. You made the perfect plan, but it

fell through. A closed door feels like a painful rejection,

leaving us wondering what we did wrong. But in God's way of doing

things, a closed door is rarely a punishment or a hard no. Most

of the time, it's divine protection or deliberate

redirection toward a path we couldn't see.

That verse holds two truths in tension. On the one hand, God

invites us to make plans because planning is wise and dreaming is

good. Setting goals is responsible, but on the other

hand, the Lord determines our steps. He has the final say on

which doors open and which ones close. And sometimes his

direction doesn't look like what we expected. Most of us handle

open doors pretty well. When things go our way, we thank God

and we move forward, and we feel our calling is validated. But

what about closed doors? Those are a different story. A closed

door can feel really, really personal. It can feel like

rejection, like failure, and like God himself is saying, not

you, you're not good enough. But that's rarely what a closed door

means. Think about the Apostle Paul. In Acts chapter 16, Paul

and his team wanted to preach the gospel in Asia. That was a

good plan. It was a godly plan. But the Holy Spirit said no.

Then they tried to go to Bithynia. Again, the Spirit

stopped them. Oh, come on. Two closed doors in a row? If Paul

had a modern mindset like many of us, he might have spiraled

into self-doubt. Am I not hearing God correctly? Or did I

miss my calling? But those two closed doors redirected Paul to

Macedonia, where the gospel entered Europe for the first

time. The closed doors weren't punishment. They were divine GPS,

steering him towards something bigger than he could have ever

imagined. And that's how God often works. He closes a door

not because he's against you, but because he's redirecting you.

He can see the whole map. You can only see the next step. And

sometimes the path he has for

been pointing all along. The hardest part is the in-between.

The season after the door closes, but before the new one opens.

That's where faith is tested. And boy, don't I know. That's

where I've been the most tempted to force doors open and try to

manipulate the outcomes. Or sometimes just give up. But

Proverbs 16.9 invites us to hold our plans loosely and trust the

Lord is actively determining our steps, even when those steps

include a detour we didn't ask for. That's what happened to

John Erickson. With no publisher willing to take a chance on him,

Erickson borrowed $2, 000 and started his own tiny publishing

company. Instead of waiting for bookstores or literary agents,

he began selling his books himself right out of the back of

his pickup truck at cattle auctions and rodeos and ranch

gatherings. The stories were about a ranch dog named Hank the

Cow Dog. He told them humor and the voice of a rural life

Erickson knew so well. What began as a last ditch effort

slowly caught on and word spread. Readers loved the stories. Over

time, Hank the Cow Dog series grew into one of the most

successful children's book series in the country,

ultimately selling millions of copies. The doors Erickson

thought he wanted, traditional publishers, and literary

recognition had slammed shut. But those doors pushed him down

a path he would never have chosen on his own. A path that

led to something far greater than the plan he started with.

And that's often how God works. Maybe you're staring at a closed

door right now. The job you didn't get. The relationship

that ended. The plan that fell apart. The opportunity that went

to someone else. I know, it stings. And I'm not going to

pretend it doesn't. But what if that closed door isn't a dead

end? What if it's a redirect? What if God is steering you

towards something you can't see yet? Something better than the

plan you had? Here's today's challenge. Think of one door

that's recently closed in your life. Maybe something you prayed

for that didn't happen. Instead of replaying what went wrong,

take that closed door to God in prayer. And say something like,

Lord, I made my plans. But I trust you are determining my

steps. I don't understand why this door closed. But I believe

you're redirecting me, not rejecting me. Open my eyes to

the path you have for me. Lord, closed doors hurt. I confess

that when my plans fall through, I often feel hurt and wonder if

you hear me. But your word says you determine our steps, even

when those steps include turns we didn't expect. Help us to

hold our plans loosely and to trust your direction completely.

When doors close, give us the faith to keep walking, knowing

that you're leading us somewhere good. If you're staring at a

closed door right now and you need encouragement, I'd love to

pray for you. Leave me a voicemail at

dailydevotionsforbusylives.com slash voicemail and I'll pray

for you by name. Thanks for joining me on Daily Devotions

for Busy Lives. Remember, a closed door is rarely a dead end.

Often, it's God's redirection towards something you couldn't

see. Come back next time for more encouragement to help you

live grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless and have a

great day.