When God Closes Doors

Are closed doors Satan attacking us or God saving us from something?  Why does God sometimes close doors?  What is his reason for things that seem to hinder us?

Check out this amazing sermon by Joel Osteen!  I think it is one of his best for sure. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BAshKeUIm8

He talks about the fact that God has a reason for everything he does, even when things don't make sense to us.  We just have to trust God and have faith that he will work things out for us.

I'm sure there was a reason for why my husband's job didn't work out.  For all we know, maybe he would have gotten severely injured at that job.  There were some aspects to the job that were pretty dangerous.

Maybe Ben will make more at another job or work with better people or be more happy.  Who knows.

This sermon made me think of the song by Garth Brooks "Unanswered Prayers."  In that song he talks about a girl in high school he had prayed about that he wanted to marry.  But years later he met his wife, and he was so glad God did not answer his prayers about the other girl.

We never know what God has in store for us in the future.  But we know he does say, "For I know the plans I have for you....plans to prosper you, not to harm you.  Plans to give you a hope and a future."  Amen! :) 

My grandma said to me once, "When God takes something away, it's because He wants to give you something better."  And that is often times true. :) 

Sometimes God takes things away in our lives to test us.  And Joel says if we will have a good attitude despite our trial, God will reward us with something better.  Amen! :)  Let it be so. :)

I love the song "Blessed Be Your Name" when it says of God "he gives and takes away.  He gives and takes away.  STILL my heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be your name!" 

Sometimes that really isn't easy to still say, "God may your name still be blessed, even though you have taken this good thing away from me."  But no matter what, God deserves our praise, because he is always good.  He is always God, not matter what we are going through. 

James says, "Count it all joy my brethren when you face trials of many kinds."  We can't actually be excited when hard times come, but we can have an eternal perspective rather than a momentary one.  We can "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal." 

We can trust that God will work all things out for the good, because he always does.  Amen :)

May God bless you!  And may you trust Him still even if you are going through a hard time.  Amen!