God’s Wide Open Door

When I lived in Tulsa, I held a weekly Life Group in my home. I’ll never forget the night when one of the gals told us that her job was being discontinued and she was very concerned about her future. While we were encouraging and reminding her of God's faithfulness, I remarked “This situation is no surprise to Him. So trust Him that as one door closes, another door will open." At the same moment I was speaking to her about the open door, the front door of my home gently opened with only the sunlight coming in. (See below photo!) We chose to believe that in our conversation about HIM, we heard His voice, and invited HIM into the door of our hearts.....and, indeed, HE came in to confirm that what we were speaking in faith....was true!

Yes, we got goosebumps and were in awe. Some would say "That was just a coincidence. The door wasn't closed tightly when the last lady came in." But, we said what God's Word says, "As your faith is, so be it unto you." In a matter of days, an open door for a new job appeared for this young woman. Yes, she had to do some “knocking” on doors for that new job, but soon the door opened.

Have you ever felt like you were knocking on God’s door and it just seemed nobody’s home? You know He’s in there. You have His blessed assurance that He is there. You continue to pound away at the door – pleading, begging, seeking, knocking, but the door just doesn’t open.

We've all felt that way. Here we are at the Christmas season when we'd love to give to our family and others but there's just so little or nothing at all to be a giver. You may be looking for a job or a better job. You know how thrilling it is for children at Christmas, which makes you desire to conceive and have a baby even more. You may be suffering from a tormenting illness and the thought of Christmas makes you say "humbug" because you so desire to be freed to embrace the joys of this season. Maybe you just want to experience joy again and truly be able to sing "Joy to the World" with fervor. It’s in these times that our loving Father, on the other side of the door, gently whispers to us “Be still and know that I am God. Be still and listen.” All we can see is the closed door, but God is working all things for our good on the other side of the door. He’s repositioning circumstances and people for an answer to our prayers (our knocking). Very soon that door will swing wide open and He will do a quick work. In the meantime, He’s getting things in order for us.

Are your knuckles red from pounding on heaven’s door? Are you discouraged because no matter how hard you pray, all that you see is a door that’s got a deadbolt on it? I have such good news for you! Remember Jesus walking through the walls to the disciples? He doesn’t even need a door to show up for you. Stop and listen. Be still in His presence and let Him assure you that He is working behind the scenes to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine!” (Ephesians 3:20)

Be encouraged by Matthew 7:7 "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

Proven Way to Get Your Way

Oh my. This girl. She. Cracks. Me. Up.
On the way to Beavers Bend a couple of weeks ago, my granddaughter was working her daddy over to stop "pleeease" stop at a Chick-fil-A so she could get a biscuit. We were already running behind in our schedule. And she could have easily gotten herself one at the nearby Chick-fil-A where she works at not too far from our homes, but she wasn't hungry then. This day, and time, you would think that she was an "expectant" mother with her craving for a Chick-fil-A biscuit. Nothing seemed to work for her in her appeal for her dad to stop, even though she used every tactic imaginable. He was bound and determined to catch up on the time we had lost. After all, those fish were just waiting for us to catch them!

Then, our drama queen applied a Russian accent along with a proposition he couldn't refuse "Dad, I'll buy you a biscuit also if you'll stop for me." Needless to say, he couldn't refuse and it just so happened, within a few blocks, was a Chick-fil-A. Pleading her case in that Russian accent sealed the deal. It was a hilarious moment for all of us.

I started thinking about Alexia's "begging" strategies, and it made me think about how we plead and beg God for answers to our prayers. Alexia knew her dad's faithfulness. We know our Heavenly Father's faithfulness. Our faith gets bolstered when we ask and we receive. His love is unfailing. But sometimes, we desperately need God to prove His faithfulness and His unfailing love in our lives RIGHT NOW!

A story is found in Mark 9:14-27 about a man who brought his son to Jesus’ disciples because an evil spirit possessed his boy. Unfortunately, Jesus’ disciples couldn’t drive the spirit out. Jesus was away at the time, and when He returned, a large crowd had gathered for a theological discussion. Seeing the crowd, Jesus asked what they were arguing about. The father told him how awful life was for his boy and how Jesus’ disciples failed to help. Jesus rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith then focused His attention on the boy. As the evil spirit acted out, the boy’s father prayed, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us”. Jesus heard the father’s desperate plea and picked up on one tiny, two-letter word: if. “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes” (v. Mark 9:23).

And then the father responded with one of the most honest prayers I’ve ever heard: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).

How many of us, if we were really honest, pray as this dad did. “I do, believe, Lord, but please help me with my doubt.” My favorite part of this story is the next part. Jesus helped this dad with his doubt by answering his prayer. I love that!! Just like the father who brought his son to Jesus, we also really know that God hears our prayers, is intimately aware of our needs, and that He has the power to solve our problems. It’s one thing to profess a distant belief in the faithfulness and love of a faraway God but quite another to experience His faithfulness and love as it intersects our desperate heart's cry. It is quite all right to beg God to answer our prayers quickly. Begging is OK. Not that we have to beg God, because his tender loving-kindness is for us and to give us what we need the most. But coming to Him and asking in whatever accent we are using, we can expect to receive. His Word says "Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." (Luke 11:9).

If you're there needing a NOW answer, please pray with me: "Dear Jesus, I do believe! Help me with my unbelief! I have this need [tell Him all about it], and I desperately need You to help me." I set myself in agreement for your prayers to be answered and if the answer doesn't come right away, God is simply replying "Just a minute! I'm working out a plan that's better than RIGHT NOW!"

Enjoy the antics of my granddaughter and remember that God’s ear is always open to us. Maybe try your best accent. Now, back to my "multi-lingual" granddaughter and this video. The last night at Beaver's Bend, Alexia and I stayed back at the cabin while the others fished more. We were sitting on the cabin deck when Alexia noticed we had new neighbors. She picked up the broom and started to go into motion with her Swedish accent about how we need to help them sweep their porch and rid themselves of the bacterias of this world: hate, sin, and unicorns. Go ahead. Laugh along with me. It's good medicine for what ails you!

https://youtu.be/fvLzVXtOTyk

"Knock Knock" But Noone's Saying "Who's There?"

Have you ever felt like you were knock, knock, knocking on God’s door and it just seemed nobody’s home? You know He’s in there. You have His blessed assurance that He is there. We continue to pound away at the door – pleading, begging, seeking, knocking, but the door just doesn’t open.

We've all felt that way. We're looking for a better job, maybe we so want to conceive and have a baby, we need healing from a tormenting illness, we need a financial breakthrough, we just want to experience joy again. It’s in these times that our loving Father, on the other side of the door, gently whispers to us “Shhh! Be still and know that I am God. Be still and listen.”

All we can see is the closed door, but God is working all things for our good on the other side of the door. He’s repositioning people and circumstances for an answer to our prayers (our knocking). Very soon that door will swing wide open and He will do a quick work. In the meantime, He’s getting things in order for us.

Here’s how that played out in our lives. We were in a difficult financial season. It seemed that every effort we made for increase…..only sent us further “in the red”. We were doing all the right things: praying, believing, giving, sharing, and caring for others. It looked like we should have been prospering financially on every level. But the more we knocked on the doors (God’s door and business doors), the more we were turned away. Our daughter posted sticky notes and signs all over our house -- on the refrigerator door, mirrors.....everywhere....that said "Expect a miracle". After months of "knocking", a creative idea hit my husband’s mind. He met with a businessman and that one meeting, SUDDENLY changed everything for us. That one conversation literally opened doors to a financial comeback like never before.

God was always on the other side of the door setting things in motion for the doors to open BIG TIME for us. And He did. When the door opened, so many things were set in place and He did a quick work -- quicker than any we could imagine.

Are your knuckles red from pounding on heaven’s door? Are you discouraged because no matter how hard you pray all that you see is a door that’s got a deadbolt on it? I have such good news for you! Remember, Jesus walking through the walls to the disciples? He doesn’t even need a door to show up for you. Stop and listen. Be still in His presence and let Him assure you that He is working behind the scenes to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine!” (Ephesians 3:20)

Be encouraged by Matthew 7:7 "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”