Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Woodrow Kroll
Evil Used for Good
The Bible is full of accounts where God used the evil will of mankind to achieve much good. One example was with Joseph, who was sold into slavery and ended up being in prison for years, even though he was innocent. Joseph’s conclusion should be ours too, as he told his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20). By Joseph’s being brought to power in Egypt, he was able to save and store enough grain that Jacob’s family was saved; thus, Israel survived.
What’s Bad for Us?
When God closes a door for us, He does so because He knows it’s not for our best. Since we are stubborn and often try to break the door down if it doesn’t open, God secures the door for us so that we can’t even pick the lock. The fact is, if God closes one door, it often pushes open another door, or at least it opens a window for us to crawl through to do God’s will, whatever that is.
What’s Best for Us?
God always knows what’s best for us, better than we do. So we must trust God to open the doors that are best for us and close the doors that are not good for us. But when doors close, we should thank God for it because we can hurt ourselves or others by forcing doors open that God closed. Besides, if He closes one door, He has another planned for you to walk through.
Closed Doors and Open Windows
One day when it was very windy (as always in Kansas), our front door was blown open by the wind. This caused the backdoor to slam shut. That occurrence made me think of Woodrow Kroll’s statement about a closed door and an open window. The point is, a closed door may open another door for you to walk through. Trust God because He is sovereign over all the doors and windows in our lives that open; and close and everything that happens, both good and bad, is for our ultimate best (Romans 8:28).
Conclusion
God can use evil for good. Just looking at the cross tells us that God used the evil works of men to bring about the salvation of many who would believe in Him. So when God closes a door, He always opens a window or perhaps another door.
