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May the Lord bless you as you transition back to life in the States for a while. The following poem should provide encouragement at this time as you wait on the Lord. In our career of 44+ years of missionary service for Him in Mali and Burkina Faso, w. Africa, we have had several experiences when God shut the door, then opened another to continued ministry for Him. I know He is doing the same for you folks.
When God closes the door
When God closes the door
And shuts us into His love
It is never without reason
‘Cause His purposes are sure.
When God opens the door
And invites us to walk through
We must listen and obey His Word
‘Cause the best is yet to come.
And when God opens the door
It’s always His invitation to walk through –
To begin a new era in His plan
So He can bless us even more.
Sometimes we see God shut the door
To a life or existence not worthy.
As with Noah and his wife and family
Who were shut off from the evil of their day.
But Noah and his wife and family
In God’s timing lived through the flood
As they saw God unleash His judgment
On the wicked world that denied Him.
‘Twas a perfect picture of God’s working
To shut us in to His love
To cause us to wait upon Him
‘Till the tempest has ceased.
Life is full of such experiences with God,
Shutting us into Himself for a season
‘Till the storms cease their fury
And the sun finally breaks through.
So, dear child of God, rest in Him
When He has shut the door
‘Cause the tempest will cease
And you will see the sun shine one day.
We always learn a lot in trial
Though for a season things seem uncertain.
All we have are God’s promises –
And they are sufficient to sustain us.
Why do we fret when a door is shut
When it seems all we’ve known is blessing?
Only God knows the answer, and He is faithful.
It’s always, always for His good, and ours as well.
When God closes the door
His hand is upon us
To lead us into the future
And we are to follow.
Amen and Amen
Rdo
See Psalm 130:5; Habakkuk 2:3; Isaiah 40:31; Ephesians 3:16