The Closed Door

 “. . .and the Lord shut him in.” (Genesis 7:16)

Sometimes when our dog goes outside, the door closes behind him instead of staying slightly ajar. When that happens, he runs around the house, checking the other entryways. But if all doors are closed, he knows one will eventually open because he is part of the family.

For one hundred- and twenty years, Noah obediently proclaimed a coming flood but was mocked by the community. He implicitly followed God’s instructions in building an ark with only one door and window during those years. When God told him to board his family, the animals, and critters, the Lord, not Noah, closed the door for the good and safety of all in the ark.

As a child of God’s family, the doorway to Him is always open. But when a door in life closes, and you run to another and find it closed, sometimes the first instinct is to pry one open, creating a path of your own making, one your Father never intended. If they are closed, it is for your good, not harm. Because God loves you, He opens the right door at the right time; His decisions are always with your best in mind and for those you influence.

After a year on the ark, Noah opened the window and saw that the land was dry (8:13) and was ready to exit, but it was a month later, God told him it was safe to leave (v. 16). What Noah saw looked safe, but God knew differently. Because he waited on God, Noah, his family, and the animals walked on solid ground and experienced God’s best. So will we if we leave the opening and closing of life’s doors to our Omniscient—All-Knowing—God.