When God Closes a Door, Ask Yourself This Question
I sit with a friend and admire the daylilies as they bow low beneath the afternoon sun. We are quiet today. I’ve just shared my most recent disappointment, and my heart is heavy. I thought God was leading one way, but the door slammed shut in my face. When God closes a door, it can be hard to know where to turn next.
I’m pondering life’s unforeseen trials when my friend asks a hard question:
“Is there a chance you’re trying to turn stones into bread?”
She then unpacks what she’s been learning about turning stones into bread, and I realize I can relate.
Before Jesus begins his public ministry, the Holy Spirit calls him into the wilderness. Here, Satan tempts Jesus in three ways: He tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread to satisfy his physical hunger. He tempts Jesus to dive from a great height and commands the angels to catch him. Satan also tempts Jesus to worship him and receive the kingdoms of the world in exchange.
What does this have to do with you and me? Maybe all of this has more to do with us than we think.
When God Closes a Door
Some of us have unfulfilled dreams that have yet to come to fruition. We want different careers, new ministries, and deep heart-level desires to come to pass. We have prayed and waited, and we are tired of waiting.
I know about waiting on God.
I’ve tried to force more than a few agendas in my own strength.
I’ve tried to turn the stones into bread.
Turning stones into bread is the act of taking a God-given gift and claiming ownership. Instead of stewarding the gift, the talent, or the assignment, you decide to force an outcome. Your intentions might be in the right place, but you’re pushing ahead of God’s timing.
Maybe you try to launch the ministry ten years too soon.
Perhaps you try to write the book before it’s time.
Maybe you try to turn the wrong man into your husband because you’re tired of waiting on God.
The Truth About Your Unfulfilled Dreams
I’m not saying we shouldn’t take risks. I’m not saying you should let yourself remain stuck if it’s time to step out. (If you sense God is calling you to step into risk, this post might help you today.)
But if you’ve been pushing and pushing – if you’ve done all you know to do in your own strength – and your unfulfilled dreams still aren’t happening, maybe it’s time to ask the question:
Am I trying to turn these stones into bread?
Am I trying to use my God-given gifts to accomplish my own agenda?
We try to turn stones into bread in subtle ways. We try to turn stones into bread when following a calling slowly slips to a mentality of building a career, and we lose sight of the calling and start to find our identities through our job titles.
Turning stones into bread happens when the business becomes a mission for money-making or for building our own kingdoms, and we lose sight of why we started it in the first place.
We try to turn stones into bread when our dreams to make much of God slip into making much of ourselves.
We start to think a little too much about the followers, the fans, and the numbers.
When God Closes a Door, Consider This . . .
Let me begin by empathizing with you if God has closed a door in your life. I have been here. I get it. It hurts. Grieve the loss. Your pain is real, and the Lord wants to minister to your heart.
You probably don’t understand why this door closed. I invite you to pray a brave prayer. Ask God to help you trust him with what you don’t understand.
And while you are with him, ask him to show you: Have you taken hold of a God-given gift, dream, or vision and tried to make it come to pass in your timing?
When God closes a door, we can stay in step with him by refusing to take ownership of the outcomes in our lives. Look at the day ahead of you. What would it look like to steward the assignment God has given you today? What would it look like to leave tomorrow’s outcomes in his hands? When you can steward the assignment and trust God with the outcome, you will step into freedom you have never known. 
A Free Devotional to Help You Find Your Way When God Closes a Door:
When God closes a door, it can be hard to know what to do next. Spending time with God is the best way to discover his will. My free 31-day devotional Mornings With Jesus will help you draw near to God. Mornings With Jesus is not your average daily devotional—it is so much more! This devotional is unique because, in addition to daily readings and reflection questions, it also offers a special section at the end of each post called “Your Invitation to Encounter God and Begin Well.” These exercises will help you actually encounter the Living God during your quiet time. Instead of asking $9.99, I’m offering this devotional for free with promo code JESUS for a limited time right here.
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Attention, all moms and daughters!
Lastly, in addition to writing to adults, I am also passionate about ministering to the next generation.
My 12-year-old daughter Bekah and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book together. We hope to help moms and daughters connect and grow in faith together. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section.
Our vision is for girls ages 7-17 to enjoy it with their moms, grandmas, or older women they look up to. However, mothers and daughters of all ages are using this book to grow closer together! This book makes a wonderful gift for a mother or daughter you care about!
You can buy your paperback or eBook on Amazon right here. 
