"I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name." [Rev 3:8]
The LORD alone is strong. In the Psalms, it is written, “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.” [Psa 62:11] Power, strength, might: they belong to The LORD, they are His alone. It is He who is strong and not we ourselves; He is the one who has created and who upholds all things. Again, it is written, “ascribe ye strength unto God;” [Psa 68:34] and, “…in The LORD Jehovah is everlasting strength.” [Isa 26:4] Seeing then that The LORD is the source of all strength, we read, “it is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.” [Psa 18:32] He is the one who “gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.” [Isa 40:29] It is The LORD who “fainteth not, neither is weary.” [Isa 40:28] He is the sole possessor and distributor of strength.
Therefore, seeing that The LORD is indeed mighty, He being “the Mighty God,” [Psa 132:2, Isa 9:6] then let us draw some encouragement from our verse for today. Jesus says, “I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” There are three reasons The Lord Jesus gives for why the door He has caused to be open shall not be shut. One, those He speaks to, of the church at Philadelphia, have “a little strength.” Two, because they have “kept [His] word;” and three, because they have “not denied [His] name.” It is mainly to the first that we shall look today: that the saints at Philadelphia were weak. For again, Jesus says they have “a little strength.”
Imagine that there was before you an open door. It is a door that you wish to go through; a door which you wish to use. Then imagine a force beyond your control: either a strong wind or other person, began to attempt to shut the door. What would keep it open? If both parties were opposed in their struggle, which would win? Would not we say the stronger would win: either of you, attempting to keep it open, or of the other attempting to shut it? But in Jesus’ exhortation to the church – and truly not just to Philadelphia but also to us as well – He says that one of the reasons the door laid before them is open, and remains as such, is because they are weak. This goes against the world’s, and our flesh’s, natural way of thinking.
It is not our strength that keeps doors open. Have you an open door, dear Christian reader? Is there an available opportunity before you? Whether it is to do good, join this, go here, or do that? The encouragement for you today is that its open position is not dependent on your strength. There is a temptation to think that we must strive and struggle and fret, that we must exert ourselves much in order to keep opportunities open. That if we would but rest for a moment, the opportunity might pass, the door might close shut. And so, with zeal, albeit an erroneous and self-produced zeal, we should, if giving in to such temptations, diligently exercise ourselves to exhaustion in an attempt to control situations and keep things open. But if it be a door set there of God it shall remain open, not because of our own strength, but because of God’s. If The Lord Jesus, the King of Glory, has wedged His foot in the door, there is not a force upon earth or in heaven which can usurp His decision. There is not a power in existence that can overcome Christ’s desire for something to stay open or stay shut. And so, may we rest in Jesus’ words, knowing that if there is a door set before us – that is, if there is an open opportunity before us to do something – if it is of God, then it does not depend on us to keep it open; rather, Jesus is the responsible party. It is through His strength that the door will remain open.
Therefore, may we trust Him and look to Him; rely on Him. Yes, and rejoice in Him too. For if you have felt rushec as of late: rushed into making a decision or moving forward, despite having a lack of peace, fear not. Rest in The Lord and do good; dwell where He has put you contently, knowing that if that thing be of Christ, it shall remain open and He shall give you the peace when the appropriate time comes. And if the peace does not come, and the door becomes shut, then we can rejoice too: for even in this God’s will is revealed more clearly. Again, if you, dear reader, have felt the opposition of men or of spiritual forces, that they seem to have at once risen up to shut the door laid before you and to prevent you from God’s will: fear not. For Jesus is “He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth and no man openeth.” [Rev 3:7] There is nothing that Jesus has set before you which the enemy can thwart or close. For, “there is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against The LORD.” [Prov 21:30]
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