How to Hear From God During Uncertainty: 4 Powerful Ways

Do you wonder how to hear from God, especially during uncertainty?

Dr. Gladys Childs reveals how hearing from God draws you closer to Him, strengthens your faith, and brings clarity.

It was early morning when the whole world felt quiet enough to hear your soul.

I sat at my kitchen table, hands wrapped around a mug of coffee that had already gone cold.

My Bible lay open, but my eyes weren’t reading. They were searching—hoping, aching, wandering.

Life had crept up on me. Not all at once, but in a slow, subtle build of pressure: responsibilities, relationships, decisions, dreams deferred, and a weariness I couldn’t name.

The smile I wore in public didn’t match the swirl inside. I felt stuck. Not lost, exactly—but like I had taken a wrong turn and wasn’t sure how to find my way back to my purpose.

Maybe you’ve been there, too.

How to Hear From God: Prayer

You know what it’s like to stare at your ceiling at 2 AM, wondering if the thing you’re working toward is worth it.

Or to sit at your desk and feel like the work of your hands isn’t matching the cry of your heart.

Or to wake up and feel nothing, just numb, going through motions.

That morning, in that silence, I did the only thing I could: I whispered a prayer that barely had words.

Something like, “God, I don’t know what to do. But I know You do.”

How to Hear From God: The Bible

I flipped open my Bible without a plan and landed on Jeremiah 29:11, a familiar verse.

Maybe too familiar. I almost skimmed past them.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11, ESV

I’ve seen that verse on mugs, notebooks, and graduation cards. But that day, it didn’t feel cliché—it felt personal.

I didn’t need a plan. I needed a promise.

The promise that God sees farther than I can. He knows what I don’t, that even when life feels off-track, I’m not lost to Him.

How to Hear From God: His Promises

Here’s what I hadn’t noticed before: God gave this promise to people in exile. People who had lost everything familiar.

People who weren’t where they wanted to be. And God didn’t say, “I’ll fix it tomorrow.” He said, “Trust Me. Even here, I’m not done.”

That hit hard.

So I stayed there for a while, letting that weight sink in. If God could speak hope into exile, He could also speak it into my confusion.

I didn’t walk away from the table with a five-year plan, but I did walk away with peace, not because I had answers, but because I remembered Who does.

Since that day, I’ve been learning surrender’s slow, sacred rhythm—not the kind that feels passive or defeated but that releases control and receives grace.

I’ve learned that sometimes clarity doesn’t come in a booming voice but in quiet trust—a deep breath—a whispered, “Lord, lead me today.”

How to Hear From God: Listen

I’ve started creating space in my mornings—not just for coffee and reading but for listening.

I ask God simple questions like, “Where are You working in me today?” or “What do You want me to see?” and I write down what I sense, even if it’s just a word or a verse.

If you’re in a place where you don’t know what’s next, let me speak this over you: You are not forgotten. God is not silent. And what feels like a detour might be the road He’s using to bring you home to Him.

You don’t have to have it all figured out. You have to take the next step of obedience. The next yes. The next prayer. The next moment of trust.

And if you can’t take the next step yet, sit with God.

He’s not in a rush and is not impatient with your process.

How to Hear From God During Uncertainty

Here’s what I know: God has never wasted a waiting season in my life. Not once.

Even the times I thought were fruitless, He was pruning me for something I couldn’t yet see.

So if you’re in that place today—tired, unsure, maybe even numb—I want to encourage you to do one thing: Invite Him in.

Invite Him into the ache, into the questions, into the silence.

He doesn’t need you to be eloquent. He wants your heart.

And maybe, like me, you’ll find that God’s plans aren’t always predictable but always good.

Perhaps you’ll look back one day and realize that the moment you thought everything was falling apart was when He was rebuilding something better. Something stronger. Something eternal.

Because that’s what God does. He gives beauty for ashes, strength for fear. Hope for despair.

And God’s doing it for you—even now.

Author

Dr. Gladys Childs

Dr. Childs is a pastor’s wife, author, speaker, former religion professor, and boy mom. She steps into the mess where faith feels fragile and pain runs
deep, helping others find unshakable faith and lasting freedom. Learn more at gladyschilds.com. Follow on Instagram or Facebook. Dr. Childs is the author of Busting Barriers: Overcome Emptiness and Unleash Fruitful Living.