George, a young man in Greece, was planning to attend Bible college when the scholarship he was counting on was inexplicably cancelled. Disappointed because of the closed door, he instead enlisted in the military. After this, he decided to pursue studies at the university, and began to work toward a law degree and eventually completed his studies with distinction. When, after graduation, George found himself in the midst of a hotbed of religious persecution against the church, he took on a series of assignments on behalf of Bible-believing Christianity.

When the Athens 3 Trial made global news, George found himself on the legal team in this religious controversy. The case concerned a printed gospel tract given to a 13-year-old boy, and three missionaries were arrested for their involvement. Believers around the world gave so much attention to the situation, with over a half-million people responding to the case, that the authorities asked George to tell everyone to quit sending letters. The missionaries were eventually acquitted, and the young boy later became involved in church.

George eventually gave up the practice of law to establish a church in Athens which became the largest Bible-believing church in the nation.

One very painful closed door in George’s teenage years opened another one that eventually gave rise to national and global influence. George’s experience reminds us that instead of looking back at lost opportunities, it is far better to look forward to the possibilities that God may be opening for us. Jesus said, “See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it” (Revelation 3:8 NKJV).[i]

[i] Glenn Burris Jr., Foursquare Church Weekly Email Prayer Guide, accessed May 11, 2009.