Many Closings will Bring New Beginnings | Elijah List

"Through July 31st - Many Closings will Bring New Beginnings"

Andy Sanders, Syracuse, NY

A few days ago, I was just reading the Word and spending some time with the Lord, and He said to me, "There will be many closings from now through July 31st, 2018." I was gripped by the thought. A few hours later, I was in my backyard tending to a project that had been going on for six years, and it actually was completed that same day. This project was no ordinary project; it brought the good, the bad, and the really ugly out of me many times. Sometimes I thought that project would never end, yet ironically, it was finished on the same exact day God spoke to me about closings! God had my attention, no doubt!

A few hours after that, I went into the office and my lovely wife told me that she was finishing up the final details to a major project that we had been working on for many years. On the same day, this project was over and officially ended! (I would like to point out that I hadn't said anything to her yet about the six-year backyard project had that just been completed, nor had I said anything about what the Lord had spoken to me earlier that day about many things closing.)

On that same evening, we had dinner with some special friends we went to church with, and they told us that they would be attending a new church that is being planted—this was a closing and a new beginning! The next morning, I woke up and read an email announcing that another person I knew and connected with in ministry would be leaving their full-time position on July 31st, 2018, and it is now time for that post to have a new beginning. Was my spirit charged and my ears perked by now? Yes, indeed!

"God knows what you are about to walk through and He is already prepared for it."

As I processed what the Lord told me and watched all of this unfold so quickly, I felt the Lord impress on me that I needed to share this message to the Body of Christ—because this radical change is just beginning, and it will affect many across the country and in other nations.

There will be many sudden and unexpected closings, along with well-planned closings, but they both will lead you to new beginnings. Don't focus on the closing and what you assume you are losing; instead, focus on what God is giving you in return.

Transition from Closing to New Beginning

Do you remember Job? Take a good look:

"The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys." (Job 42:12 NIV)

God makes no mistakes in the work of restoration and transition in a person's life. And He will not make a mistake in your life, either!

Sometimes closings can feel a little scary. Something that closes in our lives can make us feel like we are out of control, going to shipwreck, or worse yet, never able to rebound. I want to encourage you with this brief word that there will be some closings coming, but regardless of how things close, the reason it is happening isn't to bring you harm, but rather to thrust you directly into your new beginning. This new launch is a place where God has sovereignly chosen to lead you.

From time to time we actually have to come out of one project completely before God can transition us to the next assignment. If you are like me, you may have tried many times to do too many important things at once, and sometimes it just doesn't work well. I believe God is pulling us away from things that are unimportant, and launching us into things that are extremely important for our lives.

Sometimes our calendars, schedules, and plans just don't line up with where God wants to take us anymore, so He decides to change our course. As a good friend of mine always says, "Change is messy! The bigger the change, the bigger the mess it can bring. But it has to happen to get us where God is leading us."

Our hope rests in Him:

"Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long." (Psalm 25:5 NIV)

Our Steps Forward

Some of you reading this right now just received news that something in your life is closing; some of you will receive news in the near future that something is closing. During this time we should follow a few steps:

• Walk Forward and Trust Him

Sometimes I wonder which would be scarier: walking on murky water to where you can't see the bottom or walking on crystal clear water—so clear that you can see that the bottom is so far down you wouldn't dare try to touch it. Some of the steps ahead will be like walking on water for some. Unfortunately, we don't get to pick the visibility of the water or the depth of the ocean that the Lord asks us to step out on.

"There will be many closings from now through July 31st, 2018."

Have you ever looked upon something from a high view, seeing far down below? Remember the breathtaking feeling? This is what something "closing" can feel like. At first it can feel breathtaking and even fearful, but God is there. He is in the heights, the depths, and the small steps of faith many are about to take.

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?" (Psalm 139:7 NIV)

• Don't Be Afraid to Share Your Thoughts

God knows what you are about to walk through and He is already prepared for it. Don't be afraid to share how you really feel with Him. He wants to hear what you have to say about it. I think sometimes we feel that because God knows what we are walking through, we don't have to talk to Him about it. But instead we talk to everyone else but Him. We need to talk to Him, and in doing so, He will help you find closure—this is always the better way.

Rest assured that God never closes a door unless He intends on opening something else for you. He will not leave you abandoned!

"Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in Me will not be disappointed" (Isaiah 49:23 NIV).

Source: Elijah List