You cry out for revelation and guidance now, and your urgency is right, for we must not delay in seeking the light of God. Yet see to it that your very eagerness does not become a snare by demanding immediate sight when the Lord would first teach you trust. The surest revelation you can seek is already in your hands, this Bible from the first word of Genesis to the last line of Revelation will never mislead you. When you plead for understanding, open the Book and cry to the Holy Spirit whose office it is to lead you into all truth; the Spirit must go with the Word, or all your reading is wasted breath.
Pause and consider that guidance often comes not by sudden flashes but by a yielded will. You say, “I will have it now,” but the better prayer is, “Not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” The one who learns to bow to God’s sovereign sway, who adds to every plan, “If the Lord wills,” will find that by this very acquiescence he is furnished with unerring guidance. The Lord has a providential will woven into every circumstance; live near Him and He will tell you things in the whispers of His love that He may not tell to another. Yet take care, you cannot twist His arm by demanding what you call revelation if it runs contrary to His revealed commandments. Nine times out of ten, look to the Ten Commandments and you will at least know what you must not do, and from that you will conclude what you may do.
Remember the glorious promise: “I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not My people, Thou art My people.” It is all in “shalls” and “wills”, God is speaking! He does not say, “I will if they will,” but “I will, and they shall,” for He has the key of free agency and makes men willing in the day of His power. Cry to Him, then, not as a debtor demanding payment, but as a child trusting a Father who knows when to give. He will not play fast and loose with you; if He has plucked you as a brand from the burning, He will not thrust you back into the flame. His purpose will not be disappointed.
Pray, then, after this manner: “Father, I would have more understanding now if it pleases Thee; yet if Thou dost delay, I will wait, for Thy promise cannot fail forevermore. What Thou dost hide from me, I do not need. What Thou dost reveal, I will treasure and teach, for by teaching it is kept sweet. I bow to Thy will, O God, and all Thy ways adore!” When you reach this place of absolute resignation, you will discover a mighty power in prayer, for then your will is God’s will, and He will say, “Rise, My child, ask what you will, and I will give it you.”
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, grace to trust, grace to submit, grace to understand in His time. That grace is sufficient for you now, this very hour, even if the full revelation tarries a little while. Infinite, everlasting, unchanging grace, may that be your portion until the day breaks and the shadows flee away.