I blinked. Fourteen inches? In Maryland?

The forecast stared back at me, unmoving. I clicked over to my calendar. I suppressed the fist of dread in my gut. Oh boy…

I messaged my mom. Are you seeing what I’m seeing?

If it’s right, that means fourteen inches of you’re-not-going-anywhere. Flights grounded. Flight desks crowded with grumpy would-be travelers. If that’s Maryland snow, you might not even get out the next day, or the day after that.

Pray about whether we should change the flight, my mom texted back.

She was right—weather patterns change all the time, especially a week out. It could pass us by. It could slow down and not reach the state until a day or two later. I had seen it many times before. Do we leave early? Do we wait it out?

I needed some help on this one.

So I shut everything down and dropped into listening prayer.

I remember what He’s done.

You’ve seen me through… through it all.

The unexplainable, couldn’t-have-planned-this timing of moving overseas and meeting my husband. How he helped us through our crazy move to the northeast when we didn’t even have a house to move to yet. All the adventures besides where we’d had where we had no idea what was next for us. My breathing slows.

I remember who He is.

I know You, God… I know who You are.

The God who led Israel through the desert with manna and a cloud, the same One who met me long ago under that willow tree when I said yes to whatever He had in store for my life. Suddenly the problem in front of me looked smaller than His faithfulness.

Jesus, You are Lord. I release this to You.

Once the dissonance of fear and anxiety had loosened their grip, I invited Him right into the middle of it. I felt His Presence clearly then, like so many times before.

There’s a way through this… show me how to move.

I didn’t rush the answer. I just sat there in that beautiful peace-place with Him. The kind of peace that doesn’t make sense in the middle of wild snow forecasts and countless ‘what-ifs’— a Philippians 4:7 peace. The kind that guards your heart and mind and singles out His voice above all the others.

And in that place?

I can finally hear.

I think we should leave early, I text my mom.

We did. The funny thing is, I had scheduled my own first flight to Maryland a day early, without any clear reason—even to myself—why. But it provided the perfect window for us to leave for Washington in those last hours before the blizzard came. If we had tried to leave after, we likely would have had to completely cancel the trip. But we didn’t let fear dictate our decisions; we invited God’s voice into our unknown situation.

It might come as a gentle nudge.

A scripture that suddenly feels alive.

A picture in my imagination of the next right step.

Or just a deep, steady knowing that says, “This way.”

I’ve learned it doesn’t have to be loud or dramatic. It just has to be Him. And when it is, there’s no anxiety attached — only a quiet confidence that the same God who gave manna in the wilderness, is inviting us into walking with Him today.

If you’re standing in the middle of your own unfamiliar landscape right now — whether it’s a literal move, a job change, kids leaving home, or a storm you never saw coming — don’t stay stuck in the spinning.

Remember what He’s done.

Remember who He is.

Release what’s not yours to carry.

Invite Him in.

Then listen.

He’s not hiding the next step from you.

He’s just waiting for your heart to get quiet enough to hear it.

You’ve seen Him come through before.

He’ll do it again.

Have you ever had to “tune your heart to hear God”? What did that look like for you? What decision are you facing right now that needs His voice? Your story might be the very encouragement someone else needs today.

Let’s keep walking — one next step, one listening prayer at a time.

—Jane

P.S. I wrote a song for you. Click below to listen for free.

Summary & Song

Sometimes, to really hear God in decisions I have to move to get my heart in tune with His; I remember what He's done (You’ve seen me through / through it all), and I remember who He is (I know You / I know who You are).

When I've released any fear or anxiety, then I invite Him into the process with me (There’s a way through this / show me how to move).

If I'm in that peace-place with Him, I can usually begin to hear Him to know the next step.