OPEN DOORS

And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore, the king said to me, Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart. So I became dreadfully afraid. Nehemiah 2:1-2

As we read these verses, we are watching God open a door, a door that Nehemiah could never open himself. Nehemiah had prayed for an open door, "grant me mercy in the sight of this man." Now the door was opening wide, wider than anyone could have imagined.

Paul mentions open doors several times in his writings:

• "a great and effective door has opened to me" I Corinthians 16:9
• "a door was opened to me by the Lord" II Corinthians 12:2
• pray for us, "that God would open to us a door for the Word" Colossians 4:3

What is an open door? It could be many things:

• An opportunity
• A prepared heart
• A question asked

An open door is simply God's preparation.
What causes the door to open? God does!

• It isn't by accident or by chance
• It isn't coincidence
• Open doors are God's providence at work

Later, we see that Nehemiah had done a lot of preparation for this moment of the open door. But all of the preparation in the world will not open a door. That's God's business.

Nehemiah's preparation was not for the purpose of opening the door. It was for the purpose of being ready when God opened the door.

When God did open the door to the king's heart, Nehemiah was ready spiritually and strategically to do the work God was calling him to do. He wasn't asleep at the wheel. He was terrified, but he was ready.

God's job is to open the door! Our job is to be ready.