“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” Psalm 119:105 (ESV)
“For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness…this God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” Psalm 18:28, 30 (ESV)
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”
Psalm 37: 3-: 23-24 (ESV)
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 (ESV).
We’ve all been through dark times. Some reading this are in dark times right now. You know the kind of dark times that aren’t quite depression, but you feel confused and lack clarity or direction. This confused state is often more stressful than periods of your life where you are certain of the cause due to extraneous factors. Maybe you’re grappling with a decision of epic proportions and the answer isn’t clear. Perhaps you want the answer to be one thing so badly that you try to reason with yourself an answer that God hasn’t given you.
One of the things I’ve been learning and re-learning is that while God is faithful, His answers to similar situations you’ve experienced before are not always the same. Let me explain what I mean by asking an age old question, one that is asked throughout the believer’s life: how do I discern the will of God for me in XYZ situation? Obviously there are truths here that will never change such as the faithfulness of God to answer you when you cry out this question. But, what might change is His response to you. Sometimes it’s change a course or direction for your life and sometimes it’s the continue on the path He’s chosen for you. These answers are not always written in the sky, but He does promise to “light the path of darkness.”
Here’s what I know:
- Our God is NOT a God of Confusion. It is in His very nature to be all knowing. He cannot be less than perfect. He cannot be less clear; it would dethrone Him from being God. When you are confused, you can be sure it is your flesh (your mind) and the work of the enemy to keep you from following the will of God for your life. If you are looking to make a change in your life, whatever that may be, do not make a change until you are sure the Lord is in it. His word promises that HE IS the LIGHT and He is the one LIGHTS the path that we should walk in.
- Our God Orders our Steps. Because he is omniscient He won’t allow those who follow close to Him to fall. When I have something that I’m praying through and worried about, I’m constantly thinking about every angle wondering if I’m following the Lord’s path. But what I need to do, is stay so close to the Lord and His word (His word is a light for our path) that I’ll never have to wonder which way to go. Don’t stray from the path until His lamp moves you to a new location.
- Our God is Faithful. Over and over again, the Bible speaks of His faithfulness. For this we should give thanks over and over again. When I’m confused and discouraged, my natural inclination is to overthink my situation and that just brings more questions and stress. God reminds me to stop immediately and focus on his faithfulness. To give thanks in ALL circumstances. Stop blaming God for hiding His will and focus on who He is. Be patient and be still. Wait for the Lord. Remind yourself of what He’s done, what’s doing now, and how his faithfulness will endure forevermore.