God's Will Is a Light in Dark Times: Finding Light When Nothing Changes
"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." — Matthew 6:10 (ESV)
Years ago, I was stuck in a long, grinding trial — the kind that drags on for more than a year and slowly wears you down. One day, it got worse. Bad news came in the morning, and then more bad news came over dinner. Two waves in a single day. It devastated me. But that night, God did something I've never forgotten: He gave me light in the dark — without changing a single one of my circumstances.
It started with something ordinary. I'd been watching The Chosen, and I usually watched only one episode at a time. But that night, I felt drawn to watch a second episode. I love this show, and the way the series portrays Jesus touches my heart. As I watched Simon talk with his wife about the Lord, I felt an unexpected nudge to go back to something I'd read that very morning.
That morning, I'd been working through Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God with a few friends, and one section had caught my eye. His point was that before you can even begin to discern God's will in a hard situation, you have to settle one thing first: commit — ahead of time, before you even know what He'll ask — to do whatever He says. In his words: "Two words in a Christian's language cannot go together: No, Lord. If you say no to God, He is not your Lord." The answer, always, has to be yes. I'd read it, nodded, and gone on with my day.
But that night, nudged back to it after that episode, it stopped me cold. I won't pretend the "yes" came easily — surrender rarely does when you're hurting — but as I reread the words, something in me settled. I picked up my pen and wrote three things in the margin: the name of my trial, the date, and a phrase that landed like a gift — God's Will = Light. Because that was it. I didn't need my circumstances to change to have light. I needed to stop staring at the darkness and fix my eyes on Him — to surrender the whole mess and say, "Whatever You ask of me here, Lord, my answer is yes."
That's the light God gives in the dark. It usually isn't an answer, an escape, or a change in circumstances. It's Himself — and the strange peace that comes when you stop demanding a way out and simply hand the trial back to the One who holds it. The circumstances didn't change that night, but I could breathe again. I fixed my eyes on Him, trusted Him to give me what I needed, and let Jesus carry the rest. The darkness didn't lift — but it lost its grip because my eyes had finally moved off the trial and onto the One who holds it. And a light in the dark isn't only for comfort — it's for walking. God doesn't want us frozen in the trial; His will becomes the light, and we follow it — one trusting, obedient step at a time. So don't just rest in the peace. Move in it.
Big Idea
Before you can find God's will in a dark season, you have to settle one thing first: an unconditional "yes" — committing to obey before you even know what He'll ask. That surrender is what opens the door to the light. It's not a changed circumstance; it's God Himself — enough to steady you and enough to show you the next step.
Questions to Ponder
Have you ever come to God this way before — committing to follow before asking Him for direction? Sit with that for a moment. What would it be like to have your unconditional "yes" already on the table before you even approach Him? When you imagine doing that, what stirs in your heart — fear, apprehension, relief, or freedom?
Application
With your journal in hand, call the darkness to mind — the kind of trial that presses in and tempts you to stare at it rather than at God. Maybe it's a past one, or one you're in right now. Then consider how you usually meet it. Most of us come to God with our requests first — asking, pleading, sometimes bargaining for a way out — and there's nothing wrong with bringing Him our needs. But there's one thing we tend to skip: surrender. Begin by putting your unconditional "yes" on the table — committing, ahead of time, to do whatever He asks, even before you know what it is. Surrender invites the light in. Then fix your eyes on Him rather than the circumstances — through His Word, through worship, or whatever pulls your heart back to Jesus — and seek His will. Ask Him, "Lord, my yes is on the table — please show me Your will." And then move: when He shows you the next step, even a small one, take it — in obedience and trust, without waiting for the whole path to be lit. One obedient step at a time.
Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.