Openings

How often in our Christian life do we ask God to open something? We ask Him for good reason, because God loves to open things. Jesus loves to open things. In fact, He came  to the world to open things. So we should pray that He will open those things that are shut in our lives, things we can’t pry open though we may try like crazy. Consider all these things that Jesus opens.

1. He opens hearts. “The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul” (Acts 16:14). This was Lydia’s conversion. When we pray for our friends and relatives to be converted, we are asking the Great Heart Opener to do His work.

2. He opens ears. “My ears You have opened.” (Psalm 40:6) He opened the ears of the deaf man in Mark 7: “He sighed, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is ‘Be opened. Immediately his ears were opened…’” “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped” (Isaiah 35:5).

3. He opens eyes. The disciples did not recognize Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:31). But later when He broke the bread, “their eyes were opened and they knew Him.” We need our eyes and ears opened regularly so we will recognize God’s presence with us.

4. He opens the Scriptures. Continuing in Luke (vs. 32) “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” We need our hearts opened so the Scriptures will open up to us.

5. He opens our understanding. Following in Luke a few verses (vs. 45): “And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” When we come to God’s Word or sit under the preaching of the Word, we should be praying that our understanding will be cracked open so we can get it.

6. He has an open hand. In Luke 11:10, Jesus says, “knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” This is an “open invitation” to ask, to seek, to knock.

7. He opens wombs. “Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.” Children are from the Lord. Ask God to remember you as He remembered Rachel.

8. At Christ’s resurrection, not only did He break out of His tomb from the inside, opening the way to heaven for us, but the tombs of many of the saints were opened as well (Mt. 27:52).

We know nothing exists that God cannot overcome. No door is shut to Him that He can’t speak the word to open. He clears away hindrances, removes obstacles, and opens a way for us to come to Him for all we need.  He is the Great Opener and Way-Maker.