How Do You Hear It?
A Practical Guide to Discerning God’s Invitation
A follow-up to The Three Letter Word God Loves
This past weekend, we talked about the power of a single word: YES.
We said that saying yes to God means yielding to conviction over comfort, eliminating our excuses, and stepping forward in faith. And something shifted in the room on Sunday. People left stirred. Hopeful. Ready to say yes to Jesus.
And then Monday came.
Here’s the question that follows every moment of conviction: “But how do I actually know what God is asking me to say yes to?”
It’s a good question. Honestly, it might be the question. And for many of us, the fear of getting it wrong has kept us from moving at all.
So let’s talk about it.
Start With a Question
The late Pastor Steve Peterson offers one of the most disarming prayers I’ve encountered for seasons of discernment. It’s simply this:
“Lord, what are you inviting me into?”
Not demanding. Not commanding. Inviting. That single word changes everything. It means God is relational, not robotic. He isn’t barking orders at you. He’s extending a hand. And if He’s the one doing the inviting, then the burden of figuring it all out doesn’t rest entirely on you.
That prayer is where discernment begins. Now here’s a simple framework to help you listen for the answer.
The W.A.I.T. Framework
Four ways God confirms His invitation
W — Word Does Scripture confirm it?
God will never invite you into something that contradicts what He has already said. The Bible isn’t just a history book. It’s a living word that actively speaks into our present lives (Hebrews 4:12). Before you look anywhere else, ask: Is this consistent with the character and commands of God as revealed in Scripture?
This doesn’t mean you’ll find your specific situation in a chapter and verse. But you will find the values, the patterns, and the heart of God, and that’s enough to begin.
A — Accountability Do wise voices around you affirm it?
Proverbs 15:22 says: “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
God rarely speaks in isolation. In Acts 13, before Paul and Barnabas were sent out on one of the most significant missionary journeys in history, the church confirmed it. They prayed over them. They fasted together. The invitation was personal, but the confirmation was communal.
Who are the two or three spiritually mature people in your life who know you well and love God deeply? Bring them into the conversation. Their discernment is a gift.
I — Inner Stirring Is there a Holy Unrest?
Before Nehemiah ever said a word to the king about rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, he quietly noted: “I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do” (Nehemiah 2:12).
There was a private, internal stirring, long before any external action.
You may recognize this. It’s not anxiety. It’s not burnout. It’s a spiritual uneasiness that won’t go away no matter how much you try to rationalize it or ignore it. It persists in prayer. It wakes you up at night. It keeps returning.
That’s not random. That may be God.
T — Timing & Circumstances Are doors opening or closing?
Yes, God speaks through open and closed doors. But hold this one loosely. Circumstances are the easiest to misread, and the most vulnerable to wishful thinking or fear. An open door is an invitation to pray more, not a guarantee to move immediately.
Let circumstances confirm what the first three have already begun to say. Not the other way around.
A Word to the Fearful
If your honest response to all of this is “But what if I still get it wrong?” I want to gently offer you this:
God is not a cosmic test-giver waiting for you to fail. He is a Good Shepherd who leads, calls, corrects, and stays (Psalm 23). His voice is not so fragile that one wrong step will derail His purposes for your life.
The disciples got things wrong constantly. And Jesus kept walking with them.
So take a breath. Ask the question. Use the framework. And trust that the God who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6).
A Closing Reflection
Find a quiet moment this week and sit with this question:
“Lord, what are you inviting me into?”
Then pray:
Father, I want to say yes to You, but I need Your help to hear You clearly. Speak through Your Word, through the wise voices around me, through the stirring in my spirit, and through the circumstances of my life. Give me the courage to wait well, and the faith to move when You say go. I trust that You are a good guide. Amen.
“Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” — Isaiah 40:31
