Can You Tell When God Opens a Door?

The year was 2001, and a basketball team and three coaches traveled to Mombassa, Kenya, to share their faith, play competitive games against schools in the area, and share their faith wherever the door was open.  It was a first for most of the team and after being there for a few days, the effectiveness of the team was to make an impact on the entire city.  Many Kenyans made decisions to follow Christ, and many of the new believers were sharing their faith with others in their school.  The project was so uplifting and exciting that our Muslim drivers were in tears as they observed our work in and around Mombassa.  Clearly, we felt that God had opened doors for us, and we were privileged to be a part of it.

When I returned home, I immediately started to plan our return trip for 2002.  The missionaries were thrilled with our help to be a catalyst in their work and they were excited about how we could bring more good news for many years to come.  Then September 11, 2001, changed things!  All the press coverage and news stories we had generated in the city caused us to be considered too much of a target, and the work had to be done by smaller groups and in different ways.  Less than two years later, you may remember that a hotel was blown up in Mombassa, that was not far from the hotel we stayed at. 

It is now six years later and I can still see some young men who followed us around town and loved seeing our players.  We played at their school and after the regulation game was over, our kids stayed later and played a pickup game with a mixture of our players and theirs.  One of our players shared with their star player on several different venues and yet he was not quite ready to give his heart to the Lord.  I thought we might find him next year assuming that we would be back.  But we haven't been back and I now appreciate the meaning of how God opens and closes doors in our life experiences.  I pray that others have followed in our footsteps to share the gospel to those who are still seeking to know Christ.

As you think about the tasks and the journey that God has set you on, remember that this door is open today because God has arranged it that way.  You may not always be able to come back to this person in your life or this group in your life and be able to share your witness unless you do it today.  For he is our God,  and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.  O that today you would hearken to his voice!  Psalm 95:7

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