Be at the door
I’ve said it often, and I will say it again, a Christian does not get the inside lane in life. On the contrary. Sometimes the wind will blow even stronger and it may feel as if the storms will crush you. Temptations rush up to you and you struggle to remain upright. But we must still keep hold of that one insurance policy: God will not let go of us. God will never allow the attacks to overwhelm you.
13No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.
When we take the time to look back on our lives, we’ll often see God’s hand on it. We’ll see the times we made the wrong choice completely and how God’s hand prevented us from being crushed by the waves. You see, God never lets go. In a way He comes through for us time after time, even if we ended up in Queer Street because of our own poor choices.
I got tears in my eyes when I read Danny’s testimony:
33 years ago I got released from prison. Every Sunday a pastor held a service in the prison and always encouraged us. He said that when we ended up in prison a door had closed, but when we were released one day we must believe that another door will open.
After finishing my parole I went to work for a man in Lansdowne for three months. Then I went looking for work in town. Before I knew it I was standing in front of the building where I went looking for work before I went to prison, but that time there was a notice saying no vacancies. This time there was nothing. I stood there looking at this big building called the Provincial Administration Building with just one question in my mind: Lord, is this the door the pastor was talking about? In my heart I really wanted to work there. While staring at the building I knew this was the open door and standing there still deep in thought I heard a voice. It was a man in a grey suit. He asked me whether I stayed in Athlone. I said yes. The he asked whether I knew so and so who also stayed there. I played along. Then he asked whether I was looking for someone.
I explained to him that I was looking for work. He looked at me for a long time and said I must wait. He went into the building. After a long time he came back and said I must come up the stairs. I went inside the building and was interviewed. Everything went well. The man’s name was Mister Fanie. He then said to me I must put on a grey overall lying on a chair.
That was nearly 32 year ago. I have been born again for 14 years, praise the Lord. If it wasn’t for His love, mercy and the open door, where would I have been? All praises go to the Lord! Amen.
Danny witnesses strongly about his God who never left him. Yes, Danny had tripped over a couple of temptations and had to pay dearly for it, but even that did not put God off and make Him pull away from Danny. No, God doesn’t let go that easily. Even though Danny did not know his Creator well at that time, he did keep holding on to the knowledge that God will look after him and will help him by opening a door.
Like Danny we must all hold onto this promise. We must know that we won’t make the right choices all the time. Sometimes we’ll succumb to temptation. Sometimes we’ll have to take the consequences. But still we can hold on to the knowledge that God will never let us go. We must believe that He will open doors for us again, and if we don’t see an open door, we must look for an open window to climb through. Believe that He will give you the strength to walk through life. Hold onto God’s hand and keep on believing. As He did for Danny, God will open the door for you. Your grey overall is already lying on the chair.
Reflection
Have you succumbed to temptations?
Do you believe that God will never leave you?
Do you believe that God still opens doors and windows today?
Prayer
Father, I really needed this message. Sometimes it feels as if I’m living life on my own. It is good to hear that You will never abandon us. Even though we’ve succumbed to temptation. Thank You, Father, that I can believe that You will open doors and windows for us. Please help me see them. Amen
