The apocryphal tale is told of a particular minister in the midst of a church council debate. The debate was raging, and he could be seen hunched over his little table, writing at ferocious speed. For all the onlookers, it appeared that he was zealously preparing his next argument. When the time arrived, he quietly arose and spoke with passion and fervor. As his speech came to an end, the debate was won and God’s truth was maintained. When his friends gathered around him to celebrate the day, they looked at his notes and saw one phrase, written over and over again, “More light, O Lord, more light!”

Though this is just another apocryphal story often told, it highlights a pressing struggle we often face; what do we do when we are in the darkness and we don’t know what to do? We face many decisions in life, but sometimes there are moments of peculiar difficulty when everything about you is black and the options that lie before seem to be pain or misery. What do you do when you are in the darkness and yet still you must do something? We can be tempted to become “closet pentecostals” and pray that the Lord would send us a secret message or a vision of the night, but realistically we know this is not the solution, so what is?

First, we must begin by recognising that “the secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”¹ There is a subtle temptation to think that we must discover the secret will of God before we can make a decision. It is good to remember that the secret things are called secret for a reason. There is no hidden will that we must discover in order to please God. The Lord has revealed to us what is pleasing in his sight. So the first step is seeking to obey that which has been revealed to us. The Bible, as we saw recently, is sufficient to lead us and guide us in our times of darkness. As the Psalmist reminds us, it is the man who delights in the law that will prosper.²

Second, we must acknowledge that “without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”³ Part of our problem is that we can become trapped in our own way of thinking. Even after studying the Scriptures, we are blinded to different options because we have already presupposed what is the right thing to do. This is why Solomon says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”⁴ At all times we need godly and wise men and women who can biblically advise and counsel us in the way we should go, how much more when we face decisions in the midst of deep darkness.

Third, we must admit our limitations and cry out to God, “for the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”⁵ We ought to remember that both we and our counsellors are limited in our understanding and knowldege, and yet does not James tell us that “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”⁶ We must remember that there is a God in heaven who knows all things perfectly and delights to lead us by his Holy Spirit through his Word so that we might honour him. So we heed the exhortation of a father, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”⁷

Fourth, we must be patient remembering to “wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”⁸ The devil will try and convince you that your Father is not good, that he will hide knowledge and cruely make you stumble in the dark. Yet Jeremiah can say, “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him,”⁹ and Micah declares, “I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”¹⁰ When darkness surrounds us, look to the father of lights and wait upon him who providentially controls all things. The Lord our God is not inactive, he is perfectly ordering every event of your life to bring about good purposes, so patiently trust him and wait for him.

Fifth, we must make up our mind and act for “whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”¹¹ We must be careful of falling into passivity or inaction. It is possible to become so hamstrung by indecision and darkness that we become incapable of doing anything, fear overwhelms us and so we do nothing. For this reason the Lord says to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”¹² This is also why Paul would exhort Timothy not to neglect his gifting through inaction, but rather work with faithfulness for “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”¹³

Sixth, we must do what’s right and leave the results to God. We can join the three famous furnace walkers and say, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”¹⁴ Out of a deep desire to simply do what’s right we can act with all courage and leave the outcome to the Lord, recognising that “whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”¹⁵

Seventh, and lastly, we must give all honour, praise, and glory to God for “from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”¹⁶ Whether you win or lose, succeed or fail, all things being said and done, bow before the majesty of God and worship him. Render him all praise as the one who brings about all things to pass. Why? Because “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”¹⁷

“More light, oh Lord, more light,” was the minister’s cry. May the Lord grant us more light, through his Word, by his Spirit, to the praise of his glorious grace, that we might honor his Son in all that we do.

1. Deuteronomy 29:29 ↩︎
2. Psalm 1 ↩︎
3. Proverbs 15:22 ↩︎
4. Proverbs 12:15 ↩︎
5. Proverbs 2:6 ↩︎
6. James 1:5 ↩︎
7. Proverbs 3:5-6 ↩︎
8. Psalm 27:14 ↩︎
9. Lamentations 3:25-26 ↩︎
10. Micah 7:7 ↩︎
11. James 4:17 ↩︎
12. Joshua 1:9 ↩︎
13. 2 Timothy 1:7 ↩︎
14. Daniel 3:16-18 ↩︎
15. 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 ↩︎
16. Romans 11:36 ↩︎
17. James 1:17 ↩︎