One of the questions we ask most often is, “How can I know the will of God?”

We want direction. We want clarity. And usually, we want to know what comes next.

But sometimes God’s answer about tomorrow begins with a question about today:

What have you done with what I have already shown you?

Jesus said,

“If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine…”

— John 7:17 (NKJV)

Notice the order. Willingness comes before knowing. Obedience precedes revelation.

We often want God to show us the whole road before we take the first step. But that is seldom how He leads. Scripture describes His Word as “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

I can still remember my father teaching this principle many years ago. He compared following the will of God to walking a dark pathway at night with a lantern. You may not be able to see very far ahead, but the lantern gives you enough light to take the next step. And as you move forward, the light moves with you, revealing more of the path.

I have repeated my father’s illustration many times through the years because it captures something important about the way God leads us.

He often reveals His will progressively.

“There’s nothing like an obedient TODAY to assure a revelation of God’s will for TOMORROW.”

Perhaps you’re asking God for direction about something in your future. There is nothing wrong with asking. God desires to guide us. But before becoming preoccupied with what He hasn’t revealed, consider what He has.

Is there something you already know to do?

A commitment to make.

A wrong to make right.

Someone to forgive.

A responsibility to fulfill.

A prompting to obey.

A step of faith you’ve been postponing.

Sometimes we’re waiting for new instructions while God is waiting for our response to the last ones.

This doesn’t mean obedience earns revelation or that God owes us an explanation of everything that lies ahead. Knowing God’s will is not a formula. It grows out of a relationship with Him. The closer we walk with God, the more readily we recognize His leading.

So don’t let uncertainty about tomorrow keep you from obeying God today.

Take the step you can see.

Do what you already know to do.

And trust the One who knows the entire road to give you enough light for the next step when you get there.