“This is what the Lord says to his anointed,
    to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of
to subdue nations before him
    and to strip kings of their armour,
to open doors before him
    so that gates will not be shut:…

This thought is picked up and echoed in Revelation 3:7:

“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

Paul writes, in Colossians 4:2-4:

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 

I regularly pray for Jilly and myself that in our lives, and in the places where God takes us:

  • we may shine for Jesus, and because of Him;
  • we may smell of Jesus – carrying the fragrance, the aroma of Christ;
  • and that we will speak about Jesus, as He gives us opportunities. To this end I pray for ‘open doors’ – as Paul did in writing to the church at Colossae