Have you ever found yourself asking God why He would bring you this far just to close a door? Or have you wondered why He would give you a dream that really never went anywhere?

Some of us have experienced loss on a large scale and has left us broken before God. Some of us have experienced disappointment that has left us frustrated, doubting and lost. I [Ruth] have felt those exact emotions in different seasons, but I pray this passage will shed some light on our experiences.

Psalm 44:3 “It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; It was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for you loved them.”

Mostly the hard way, I’ve come to know that God’s hand in our lives doesn’t always mean that things will work as we’d like. This verse in Psalms is looking back on the journey of the Israelites under their leader, Joshua. There is victory, and loss, but God ordered each outcome exactly as they needed.

Looking at my life to this point, I can say with confidence: There are battles that I am not meant to win and there are dreams that I have that will not come true.

I have experienced God’s hand in my life with opening doors in my career, provision for my family and I have also experienced loss, pain, loneliness. Through this all I have learned not to dwell in disappointment, but to realize, just as the Psalm says, “nor did their arm bring them victory.” The win was not mine and neither was the loss. It was all a part of God’s ultimate design.

I have learned to trust Him and remember how much He loves me and fights for my heart, knowing that even a pause,door closed is in God’s perfect order in my life. Now I know some of you may think really? Yes, He has shown me that He already knew before the foundations of the earth I would be right here in this moment in my life. God sees the entire picture and every move He makes (even if makes no sense to me) comes from the depths of His love.

God may close a door, out of His love, to protect us from something that could take us further away from Him (read that again). Can we trust that He wants the best for our lives and callings?

The work and the relationships we’ve invested in are not news to God. Can we choose to recognize that a win or loss as God’s gift to give and God’s to use? My prayer is that we will see “the light of Your face, for You loved them.”