When God Closes a Door

Paris, April 24, 2014 — Greeting François Hollande, then President of France, at the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in Paris, together with Patrick Devedjian and Alain Terzian.

Back in 2014, I was in France, serving as locum tenens, organizing the election of the new primate. One day, I received a call from Canada. It was from a bishop who was serving there as locum tenens. He said to me, “You know English and French. You would be a good Primate in Canada. I’ll bring your name to the council.”

Naturally, my heart was filled with excitement. It seemed as though a new chapter was about to open before me. I began to imagine what this might mean for my ministry, how God might be preparing me for a new field of service. But then—the phone never rang again. The door that I thought had opened was quietly closed.

I will be honest: I was disappointed. I wondered why God would stir my heart with such hope only to leave it unanswered. In prayer, I thought perhaps this was the end of a possibility. Perhaps this was God’s way of saying “not here, not now.”

But what I did not know then is what I learned soon after: sometimes God closes a door not to end your journey, but to redirect your steps toward where He most wants you to serve.

Only a year later, God brought me to the United States to serve in the Eastern Diocese. In time, I became the primate of one of the largest Armenian dioceses in the world. Looking back, I see now that the closed door in Canada was not rejection—it was redirection. The Lord was not withholding a blessing; He was preparing me for the particular mission He had in mind for me.

Friends, too often we get discouraged by closed doors. We think it’s rejection, but in reality, it’s redirection. We think it’s the end, but it’s actually a new beginning. Revelation 3:7 says that when God opens a door, no one can shut it, and when He shuts a door, no one can open it.

If God didn’t let it happen, trust that He has something better prepared. That closed door may feel painful, but it’s not the end of your story. God is moving you toward a greater purpose—something you may not see at the time, but that will unfold in His perfect plan.