You Can't Rush Clarity

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:2

I’m sure there are a lot of things you want right now. Part of being human is that we’re never without want. But if you asked me to guess what it is that you’re wanting, the first thing I would say is clarity. You want to know exactly what school to go. You want to be clear on what career path you should pursue. You want to know for sure that this is the guy you should be dating. And you want to know that as you’re being faced with this big decision, whatever it may be, you’re going to have clarity so you can make the right choice. 

Clarity is something we all want, but rarely is it something we get right away. Do you know why that is? Because clarity comes as a result of wisdom, and wisdom is not available for Prime 2-day shipping. 

Acquiring wisdom takes a while. It takes walking through long, hard seasons. It takes navigating deep, thought-provoking conversations. It takes learning from your mistakes and the mistakes of others. And it takes paying attention to what God is doing around you and inside of you. 

But what’s even more crucial for you to grasp is that the point of gaining wisdom is not solely for us to have clarity. We gain wisdom so we can get a better understanding and knowledge of God and His character. We may never get full clarity around why God shut a certain door, but if we know that He is always faithful to guide us down the right path (Psalm 23:3), then we can have peace and confidence in Him as we move forward. We may never get clarity as to why God led us into a different set of circumstances than we originally planned, but if we know that we serve a God who works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), then we can trust that His plans are going to turn out better than ours ever would have. 

I love the prayer Emily P. Freeman writes about clarity in her book The Next Right Thing. She says, “Father, we ask for clarity, but we understand that’s not your highest priority. Draw us close in our confusion, our doubt, and our questions. May we not work so hard to get rid of those things. Rather, may we let the questions and uncertainties pave the way to You. Help us to know when to say yes and when to say no. Give us the courage to walk away when it’s time. We declare you are always enough. We believe it. Help us in our unbelief.” 

I hope that this will be your prayer as you’re searching for clarity - that you will allow your questions and uncertainties to draw you closer to the Lord, and that you will be more focused on knowing Him, because when you do that, He will show you exactly how you should move forward.