There are times when obstacles change our paths and other times when those obstacles can change the destination. In the winter, the east entrance to Yosemite National Park closes after the first snow, and does not reopen until the winter’s snow has melted. During the summer, a drive to the Yosemite Valley floor from that east entrance takes two hours, but in the winter, it is a day’s journey to go around the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Without enough time or gas to make the change in plans, travelers might finish that journey much differently when faced with the obstacle of snow.
As Christians, we often find obstacles in our lives, yet the path to Jesus always remains clear. Because all things are possible through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13), there is no such thing as an insurmountable problem or concern. When Jesus was in the midst of His ministry, He gave us many examples of the paths and destinations He changed.
17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.
20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
Luke 5:17-20
What do we do when confronted with a closed door? For the faint of heart, that blocked entryway ends the journey, yet to those with faith, it only challenges them to find another way to complete the journey. Though confronted with a doorway blocked by the crowd, the men described by Luke carried their friend to the rooftop and found a different entrance! Jesus accomplished a healing of pure grace, as the paralyzed man did not ask to be healed. Additionally, that man’s healing gave him spiritual life, as Jesus forgave his sins!
In this physical realm, we often lose sight of the spiritual significance. When praying for the Lord’s healing, we seem to spend far too much time worried about our physical infirmities, when spiritual cleansing is the greatest possible gift. If the hurdle facing you is too high to jump, run under the hurdle or around it. It might add a few steps to the journey, but even with a change of scenery, God can accomplish the same results. Instead of praying for specific results, we should ask for God’s hand to place us on the paths that He wills for our benefits and for His glory!
Jesus opens doors and shuts them, yet He never closes a door without opening a window, unless He has a roof-raising experience in mind! But before He opens the doors for us, we need to open the doors of our heart to Him. Never lose faith, even when faced with the highest hurdle!
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8
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