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.
How to Hear From God on YouTube
Listen in as Dr Gladys Childs discusses her article and helps you learn how to hear from God. To watch, click here: https://youtu.be/pPBoxveUhP0
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.
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That was beautiful, it seems like you was talking right to me. Reading this brought tears to my eyes. I’m trying to love myself as God sees me, but it hurts so much to look at my body and except it sometimes. I need so much work and I see myself under poverty then my Christian friends. I know I don’t suppose to feel this way but I do. I can’t believe I said all of this. I pray to get stronger in my faith and in Jesus. Thank you for listening and the reading for today, Amen
Thank you for sharing your heart so honestly—that takes courage. And I want you to know this: you are not alone. So many of us have stood in front of the mirror and seen everything we’re not instead of who God says we are. But even in those raw, hurting places, He’s there—not waiting for you to get it together, but loving you right in the middle of the mess.
Penny, The work you feel you need? God already started it. And He finishes what He begins. (Philippians 1:6) Poverty doesn’t define you. Neither does the comparison. What defines you is this: you are chosen, redeemed, deeply loved, and fully seen.
Let yourself feel the ache. But don’t stop there. Keep returning to the truth—not your feelings, but His Word.
I’m praying with you for strength and deeper faith, sister. And I truly believe God is rebuilding something in you that no one can take away.
The answer to 11 is in 13. It is only when you seek God with all your heart. Conditions apply.
Warren, thank you for that insight—it’s true; verse 13 gives so much weight to the promise of verse 11. God’s goodness isn’t distant, but He invites us into a deeper kind of seeking—a wholehearted surrender that often grows in the places we feel most lost. I love how Scripture holds both promise and invitation. It reminds me that hearing from God isn’t about earning His voice but opening our hearts to it.
This is a wonderful post filled with practical encouragement on hearing from God. Dr. Childs has a gift for bringing clarity to the daily Christian walk by offering practical tools for purposeful living. I wholeheartedly agree that God’s plans aren’t predictable but they’re always good. Always.
Dawn, thank you so much for your kind words! I’m deeply grateful this spoke to you. You’re right—God’s plans may not follow our logic, but His goodness never wavers. Even in the detours and delays, He’s still working with purpose.
Your encouragement means a lot, and I pray He continues to speak clearly and tenderly to your heart in the everyday moments. Keep leaning in. He’s always faithful when meeting us there.
Dawn, thank you so much for your kind words! I’m deeply grateful this spoke to you. You’re right—God’s plans may not follow our logic, but His goodness never wavers. Even in the detours and delays, He’s still working with purpose.
Your encouragement means a lot, and I pray He continues to speak clearly and tenderly to your heart in the everyday moments. Keep leaning in. He’s always faithful when meeting us there.