God Opens Doors in the Wall - David W Ebel

By David W. Ebel, host of God Says Yes

When we arrived at a little church in northern Wisconsin, it was forty below zero. The church was three months behind on rent, and we had twenty-eight days before eviction. Diane and I had three children, and I didn’t know how we were going to feed them.

My first instinct was to pick up the phone and straighten somebody out. Instead, I stopped and prayed. “Lord, we can’t do what You sent us to do if You don’t help us.”

Have you ever stood in front of a wall like that? You’ve gone over the numbers, talked it through with friends, and tried every way you can think of. You look at the wall and can’t even see the outline of a door.

That’s where I was.

Take the next step before you see the door

In Acts 12:5–10, Peter was in prison and the church was praying for him. An angel woke him and told him to get up and follow. Peter did, and when they reached the iron gate, it opened by itself.

I think about the order of those events. Peter got up and started walking while the gate was still closed. Sometimes the next step is all God shows us.

In Wisconsin, my next step was a couple of phone calls. Some church members had already left because they couldn’t see how the church would survive. I asked a few of them to come back long enough to help me understand what we were facing.

They came back. And they stayed. Together we rebuilt the church, caught up on the bills, and held services every Sunday for the twelve months we were there.

There were days when the pantry was empty. We’d pray, and the doorbell would ring. When we opened the door, there would be groceries on the porch. No note. Nobody in sight. That happened more than ten times. To this day, I don’t know who brought those groceries. I do know our children never went without a meal.

God gives strength to weary people

Isaiah 40:29–31 reminds us that God gives strength to the weary. I’m glad that promise is for weary people, because sometimes all I can bring to prayer is, “Lord, I’m worn out.”

These days I can’t get down on my knees, so I sit down to pray. God hears me just as well in a chair. Wherever you are, you can tell Him exactly what you’re facing and ask Him for the strength to take one step.

That step might be a phone call. It might be asking somebody for help. And sometimes the step is to keep showing up, like we did on those cold Wisconsin Sundays, while you wait for God to show you what comes next.

In Revelation 3:7–8, Jesus speaks to people who have little strength and sets before them an open door. I take heart in that. After all these years, I still catch myself checking my watch and wondering when God is going to move. Then I remember the groceries on the porch, and I can pray again.

A prayer for the wall in front of you

Lord, You know the wall in front of me. Show me the way forward. Give me strength to take the next step and courage to trust You while I wait. Help me see the door You open, and give me the faith to walk through it.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.