EquipHer Vol. 31: "Born to Thrive, Not Just Survive!"Sample

Day 2 – How to Celebrate Closed Doors

"If it is not a ‘yes’ from God, it is a ‘no.’ Period." — Melanie Cox

In business, a “no” often feels like failure, rejection, miscalculation, or something we wished we had pushed harder for. However, what if some of the “no’s” we receive are not rejections, but divine redirections?

When God says “no,” He is drawing new boundaries. He is preserving our energy, protecting our future, and aligning our path with His perfect plan. This leads us to our second biblical principle we want to implement as we learn to partner closer with God: trust God’s “no.”

In 1 Samuel 16, God sends the Prophet Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel. When Samuel travels to the house of Jesse, he immediately notices his son Eliab—a tall, strong, and impressive man whose exterior appearances seemed to check all the boxes for a potential future king. Therefore, one could understand Samuel's natural thought was: “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before me” (v. 6, ESV).

However, contrary to Samuel’s natural intuition, God said no. Why? Because God sees differently. He tells Samuel: “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7, ESV)

One by one, Jesse’s sons were brought before Samuel, and one by one, God said no. It wasn’t until the end, when Jesse finally mentioned his youngest son, David. In that moment, David wasn’t even in the room because he was the brother they all believed would be the one least chosen - but God sees differently. David was the exact man God had chosen.

As women in business, why does this matter?

Because we, too, live in a world that celebrates exterior appearances —impressive credentials, social media followings, material things, etc. However, similar to Samuel, we need to learn the discipline of letting go of appearances, and waiting for God to confirm what is truly aligned with His will.

We need to learn to treat closed doors not as setbacks, but as divine protection. Through this practice, we learn to deepen our trust in God and remain confident that nothing is beyond His sight. His “no” is never random, but a redirection rooted in His purpose, one we just don’t fully understand yet.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9, NIV)

So what if that closed door was never your door? What if His grace is not only what opens the way, but what blocks the wrong one?

When we learn to embrace God’s “no,” we begin to walk in greater peace. We stop striving to make everything work. We stop wasting energy chasing what looks promising, and we start to steward our focus, our time, and our gifts in alignment with what truly carries His “yes.”

Is there an area in your business where you have been fighting to make something happen, but God has quietly closed the way?

Let His “no” release you. Let it realign you. Let it restore the margin you need for what is actually yours.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for every door You have closed. Help me to see Your “no” not as rejection, but as redirection. Teach me to discern Your voice above the noise of opportunity. I want to build what carries Your “yes.” Give me the peace to pause, the clarity to pivot, and the courage to trust that Your grace is sufficient—especially when I do not understand. Amen.