Numbers 9:8
“And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you.”
There are times when clarity concerning what we should do is just not clear. It is during the times of obscurity that you must be very careful to make the right moves so that you don’t make a drastic mistake that could either ruin your life and testimony or hinder the work for Christ. Moses and the people of Israel found themselves facing an obscure decision concerning men who had been defiled by a dead body on the day of Passover. Moses’ statement above shows several principles that define clarity during times of obscurity.
First, don’t make a decision. Moses told the men, “Stand still…” The worst thing you can do during obscure times is to keep on moving. There are times when you need to stop and wait on the LORD. If you are being forced to make a decision and you just don’t know what to do, then the decision is to make no decision. It is better to make no decision than to make a decision and find yourself having to clean up a mess that could have been averted had you not made a decision.
Second, don’t depend on feelings. It was very clear that Moses took his and the men’s feelings completely out of this decision because they went to the LORD. Never base decisions off feelings. Feelings will make wrong decisions most of the time. You must base your decision off principles and not feelings.
Third, ask yourself, what do the Scriptures say? It was clear these men had searched the Scriptures but they found no answer. When you need clarity, take time to see if the Scriptures bring clarity to your situation. Time is always on your side when searching the Scriptures during times of obscurity. More often than not you will find clarity when searching the Scriptures.
Fourth, what has been done in the past? Moses could not refer to the past because they had never faced this situation before, but he oftentimes looked to the past to bring clarity. Look at what others have done when they faced your situation and let their results help bring clarity to your obscurity. The past is a great teacher if you will allow it to teach you.
Fifth, ask spiritual authorities what you should do. These men came to Moses because he was their spiritual authority. God gave you spiritual authorities in your life to help guide you during times of obscurity. They most likely have learned principles from the Scriptures that you have yet to learn to help bring you clarity during your obscure time. They also have helped many people who may have faced the same situation. Set your pride aside and ask your spiritual authority if they can bring clarity to your situation.
Sixth, set time aside daily to ask God to bring clarity. You should be setting time aside during this whole process to give yourself to prayer. That time you set aside should only be to ask God to give you clarity. Be patient! God will bring clarity in His timing, and His timing will be the right time for you to move forward.
These six steps will bring clarity during times of obscurity. You will find that if you follow these six steps that you can avoid making tragic mistakes that bring lasting regret. Clarity is available, but you need to stand still until God gives the clarity.