Friday, July 9, 2010

Picking the Lock


 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding,
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJ)

      You have probably heard the saying- When God closes a door, He opens a window. But have you ever gone through times when you felt like the doors and windows in your life were shut tight, and you were locked in a room getting nowhere? I have experienced this feeling before, and I must admit, I didn't take it very well. At first, I banged on the door with my prayers, thinking if I got louder God would hear me and open the door. Then, when that didn't work, I ran to the window (the one that was supposed to be opening) and tried to look out. I wanted to see what I was missing out there, and then I tried to open the window myself. After all, doesn't God help those who help themselves? - Another popular saying NOT in the bible.

      It didn't take long for panic to set in - "Oh no, I'm locked in this room with no way out!" That's when I took out the feeble tools of my limited understanding and tried to use them to pick the lock on the door, determined to get myself out. - "How could God want me in this room?" I reasoned. "Everything important is going on out there, not in here." I told myself. "Why wouldn't God want me to move forward? My dreams are out there!"

      Finally, realizing I could do nothing to open the door, I gave up and sat down. From that lowly place on the floor I looked up. That's when I saw what I had missed before. The direction God wanted to lead me wasn't out but up, toward Him. As I sought Him and His will for my life, the light of His Word filled the room and revealed what had been there all along; a staircase, and at the top an open door. I hadn't noticed it before - until I looked up.

      I didn't have to pick the lock or beat frantically on the door. I didn't need to desperately search for an open window, because He had already prepared a way out of the room and all it required was for me to sit down and look to Him (to be still and know that He was God). My hopes and dreams were not on the other side of a locked door, they were resting in His hands.

      The time spent in the room taught me things about God I pray I will never forget. That His plans for our lives never lead out until they lead up. If I reach for the handle of a door and find it locked, I need to step back (let go of the knob) and look to Him for direction.

      If you happen to find yourself behind a locked door, don't look for a window, look for God. You might want to have a seat on the floor, lean your head back and look up - God has already planned your way out, and it won't require picking the lock!

24 comments:

  1. Charlotte, This is such a great analogy. I could really relate to what you said in your post! Have a great weekend and a very special Spiritual Sunday!

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  2. This is a gentle reminder that I needed to read. Thank you!

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  3. dear charlotte,

    i feel that my daughter has locked
    her heart as a door and am trusting
    Him to open that door.

    thank you for this wonderful exhor-
    tation. i choose to lean into Him.
    "Lord, help my unwillingness."

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  4. Thank you for this illustration. I needed to read it today.

    Bless you!

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  5. Wow! That is so profound. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
    BTW I'm glad you got to be first again.
    Blessings,
    Charlotte

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  6. You might as well have addressed this to me personally today!!Thank you, Charlotte. This is an awesome teaching.

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  7. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful and inspiring post.
    It’s so true what you said...
    Great reminder.
    Sweet Blessings,
    Virginia

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  8. Great post! God always has a plan and it is so much better than anything we could ask or imagine.

    Blessings,
    Joan

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  9. It's sad that He needs to shut the window or door closed just to get our attention when He's been there in that room all along! Great reminder! God bless you sister Charlotte.

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  10. Yes, the way He always wants to lead us is up. I love that!

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  11. So beautifully written.
    It could only come from a heart full of Jesus love.
    Thank you Charlotte.

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  12. Great post. I love Proverbs 3:5-6! Sometimes we say we trust God but we still lean on our own understanding. We need to look at things from His perspective, not ours.

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  13. this post is so encouraging...thank you for sharing this..

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  14. Oh, Oh, Oh, what a fantastic message. So good to be reminded that when se STRIVE too much to make things happen the way we think they should be happening...we fail mercilessly. or as my teen son would say..."Epic Fail".
    Thanks so much for the reminder. I will be sharing your blog-link today with others..
    Blessings.

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  15. This is such a thought provoking post, I never thought to look at it that way. This is good to share with a friend of mine.
    God Bless and thank-you,
    Ginger

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  16. What a wonderful devotional with some of my favorite inspirational and encouraging Bible verses. It was an extra blessing of comfort to me today as I was just reflecting on those verses in conjunction with a situation I am working through. Thank you :)

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  17. PS - CONGRATULATIONS on your new grandson!!! What a blessing and joy! :)

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  18. So glad to see that someone else works to dispell some of the false Biblical quotes. Another one that may give some comfort but is NOT in the Bible is "God never puts any more on you than you can bear." That is a misquote from 1 Cor. 10:12-13.

    I am strongly impressed by your gift of leading us to the real answer to our prayers. We must look like spiritual toddlers, kicking and screaming prayers to the Lord so He will give us the answer we want to hear. Your message to us is so clear and simple. Look up to Him. Just be still and look up. Thank you for that simple, but profound wisdom. God bless, Bobbi

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  19. What a beautiful post. I often use up as a last resort...so much wasted energy trying to knock down doors and pry open windows. Thank you for the reminder...the way out, is up. Blessings, Patty

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  20. great post, so true! It's hard to sit and wait, but the reward is always worth it. Always.

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  21. Thanks for a beautiful reminder. You said it so well.

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  22. Thank you Charlotte, I feel I am in this place right now. I have been banging on the door for some time. I only need to look up, to Him.

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  23. PHENOMENAL message. Thank you, thank you! I have found myself here FAR more than I would care to admit. But, He clearly was working in my life & I just wasn't paying attention. Kinda like an 'isolation period in solitary confinement' was needed! Found this little gem in Scripture (Jeremiah 6:16) that I now apply to ALL aspects of my life.

    Blessings ~ Mereana

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