Slamming Doors And Binding Wounds

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. - Psalm 147:3

Has there been a time in your life when a door was closed (or slammed) on something you really wanted, but then you ended up being grateful things worked out differently?

Maybe it’s a relationship that ended. Maybe it’s a job you didn’t get offered. Maybe it’s a school you didn’t get accepted to. Maybe it’s an opportunity that didn’t pan out. Or maybe it’s a combination of all of those things. 

Personally, I can name a few situations that didn’t work out in my past. And at one point or another, I was sure those things were God’s best for me, which made the slamming doors on these situations that much more difficult to accept.

When you’re confident that a job, a relationship, or a next step in your life is the right thing, only to have it not work out, it seems like a rush of different feelings hit you like a ton of bricks. Disappointment, heartbreak, confusion, hopelessness…the list keeps going. Typically in the moment a figurative door shuts, we’re not happy about it. 

But isn’t it amazing as time passes, you begin to gain some clarity as to why that situation didn’t work out the way you wanted it to? Or at the very least, you finally start to feel at peace about the way things turned out instead?

That feeling of peace, that healing that takes place after a door slams, only comes as a result of the Holy Spirit healing your heart. Just as Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” 

Have you ever had someone bind up a wound for you? It’s very different than just slapping on a bandaid. Binding a wound takes time. You first have to clean it, which often stings, but is a necessary step. Then you have to slowly and carefully wrap it up, making sure the wrap is not to tight but also not too loose. It’s a process that takes special care and attention. And that’s exactly the kind of work the Lord does in our hearts after a door slams shut. 

Once this binding work is done, true healing begins to take place, and that’s when gratitude sets in. That’s when we can be thankful for the doors that didn’t stay open, for the people who walked out of our lives, for the opportunities that didn’t come to fruition. Why can we be grateful for these things? Because we can trust that we are cared for and loved by a gracious, faithful God who is all-knowing. He knows exactly what we need. He knows exactly what is best for us (and what isn’t). And He knows that what He has in store will always be better than anything we could even imagine. 

So the next time you encounter a slammed door, the next time your heart gets broken, allow the Lord to do a mending, binding work in your heart. Take the time to grieve and heal from the hopes and dreams that didn’t come true. And be grateful that what the Lord has for you is better, even when you can’t see it yet.