
Today's Devotion
From Dr. David Jeremiah
Behind the Door
September 1, 2026
Do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.
1 Samuel 12:21
Recommended Reading:
1 Samuel 12:20-2520 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 22 For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. 24 Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”
1 Samuel 12:20-25
In the 1940s, radio listeners tuned into a suspenseful new dramatic episode of Quiet Please entitled, “Nothing Behind the Door.” Three men climbed to the top of a mountain to break into a mysterious little house near an observatory. Inside they found a sealed door, which they forced open with great foreboding. As it turned out, it led to nowhere. Behind it was nothing but emptiness. It was a psychological image that shocked listeners with the emptiness of human existence.
The prophet Jonah once mistook an available ship for an open door. But open doors are not always God’s doors, especially when we force them open. Some opportunities lead nowhere spiritually. Behind them we find only disappointment, regret, and hollowness.
As we go through life, we will see many doors, but unless God is leading us to them and through them, they will lead nowhere. Let God open the right doors for you. Do not turn aside to other doors or opportunities, for we do not want to go after empty things which cannot profit and which are nothing.
When God allows one door to close, it may be because he is preparing to open a more effective door.
Henry Blackaby

Read the Bible

