Behind Closed Doors
Today’s Verse:
And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. ~2 Kings 4:4
In many corporate business dealings, some of the most important decisions are made behind closed doors. The President of the United States makes important decisions with his cabinet behind closed doors. In 2 Kings 4, reference is made three times to shut the door. The first time is when Elisha instructs the widow of a son of the prophet to shut the door upon her when she was to pour oil into borrowed vessels. The second time is after the woman of Shunem placed her deceased son on the bed of Elisha. The third time is when Elisha entered into his chamber to raise the woman’s son back to life. Let us see, this morning, the importance of doing business with God behind closed doors.
There is the restriction.
When the doors are closed behind you, all distractions from the world are removed. When the doors are closed, interferences are eliminated. Jesus said, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:6). Shutting the door is telling the devil and the world that they do not have access privileges. Shutting the door indicates that no one else but you and God are in the room. Shutting the door behind you makes your time with God exclusive, personal, and an opportunity for God to work.
There is the reason.
Shutting the door behind you indicates you are there doing business with God. It is the appropriate place for prayer. Our personal praying must be done where no one else is looking, listening, and distracting you. It is the appropriate place when we are poor. The widow woman only had a pot of oil in her house. She had to borrow vessels to pour the oil into. Financially, she was poor. She pictures the spiritual predicament we face when we are poor in spirit. Poor in spirit is when we are broken, and we humble our soul before God. When we are poor in spirit, we need God in a desperate way. When we are poor in spirit, we are the most humble and compliant to God. It is the appropriate place for getting God’s power. The woman of Shunem placed her deceased son on Elisha’s bed and shut the door behind her. When Elisha entered into his chamber, he shut the door behind him and the boy. There, behind the shut door, he does business with God for the life of this boy. We learn to be humble, to pray, to build our faith, and to obtain God’s power when the doors are shut behind us.
There is the result.
When business is done behind closed doors, God shows that He is strong for us. The widow woman saw the one pot of oil keep pouring into every vessel, and each vessel filled to the top. Elisha told her to go sell the oil, to pay her debt, and to live on the rest. She developed faith in a God Who supplied all her need. She learned that God took better care of her than any government could. The woman of Shunem saw God give her her son twice. God enabled her to miraculously conceive and give birth to this son, and, later, she saw her son raised back to life from the power of death. Your best praying is done behind closed doors. Your life grows closer to God behind closed doors.
Do you practice shutting the doors behind you when you are poor, when you pray, and when you need God’s power? Shut the door behind you and watch how your Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward you openly.
Have an exclusive God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Job 32-34
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