There
are doors which can only be opened by God - "See, I have placed
before you an open door that no-one can shut" (Revelation 3:8). There
are doors which must be opened by man - "Here I am! I stand at the door
and knock. If any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come
in and eat with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). This is
illustrated in the story of Esther. She became the Queen of Persia
according to the sovereign purpose of God. God opened the door.
Nevertheless, there were doors which had to be opened by Esther. As the
Queen of Persia, she had to act in a wise and courageous way in order
to carry out the purpose of God. In everything, we must say, with the
Psalmist, "My eyes are fixed on You, O Sovereign Lord" (Psalm 141:8).
This is not, however, to be the kind of heavenly-mindedness which makes
us oblivious to what is going on around us. We must keep a close eye
on events. We must direct our prayers towards the fulfilment of God's
purpose through the particular course of events which are taking place
here-and-now. This is precisely what the Psalmist does. He sees what is
happening, and he prays, "Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil"
(Psalm 141:4). His "prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers"
(Psalm 141:5-6). This, again, is a combination of God opening and
closing doors - "What He opens no-one can shut and what He shuts no-one
can open" (Revelation 3:7) - and ourselves opening and closing doors
as, looking at what is going on around us, we choose God's way rather
than the world's way. Concerning this opening and closing of doors, we
say, "O Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3).
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