Doing It Scared

Obeying God’s prompting even in uncertainty

La vent by Jessica Lisse

I’m currently in Iowa on my Grandpa’s farm—writing this in my notes app because he doesn’t have Wi-Fi at his house. I’ve been having slow, but full, days—many of which have included ice cream, board games, and 20-minute drives into town. It’s been a nice change from my usual life in a large city.

A year ago when I was last here, I remember that God had recently put it on my heart to start a blog with two intentions: to point people to Him, and to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ with biblical truth. At that point I was only subscribed to two people on Substack (shoutout to Emma Beddingfield and Jenna Mindel). After a few months of receiving their posts in my inbox, I had realized that this could be the perfect platform for what I wanted to start.

For the following 6 months, though, I mentally pushed back on the idea—feeling uncertain on whether I should really do it or not. But the thought persisted until it got to the point where I knew that I was going to start it at some point no matter what. Still, I was nervous about how my words would be received. I already loved writing (I had been in the middle of writing my poetry book at the time) but I wasn’t entirely sure if I was ready to share mine online.

However, at the beginning of 2026, I took the leap and finally started this Substack. It felt a bit scary, and I only had a dozen subscribers, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Slowly but surely, I started getting more comfortable with sharing my writing with the digital world, and more people began reading it too.

6 months later, I can confidently say that it was a good decision to obey God’s prompting (although I’d argue that it always is). I have nowhere near a “large” following, but I genuinely love posting on here. I’ve written many things that have been outside of my comfort zone—but that I’ve felt called to write about—and God has done the rest, both in giving me the necessary confidence and in putting my words in front of the right eyes.

Eagle Point Park (Dubuque, Iowa)

When God prompts you to do something

Many Christians view their calling as one distinct thing that God has for them to do, typically a specific occupation or role. I don’t think that is necessarily a wrong mindset to have, as I believe that God cares deeply about our work—just as He cares deeply about every aspect of our lives. I do think, though, that God is constantly calling us to do various different things.

Doing His will doesn’t have to be complicated. We don’t have to live in fear that we’re going to miss what He has for us. We can simply pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us and make us attentive to His voice—to align our desires with His. Sometimes He’ll put a specific desire on our hearts, but it’s not always big or flashy.

His prompting could be something as simple as having you send an encouraging text to a friend who’s been on your mind lately. It could look like Him having you pay for a stranger’s coffee. He could even lead you to pray as soon as you wake up as opposed to your usual early-morning scroll (or is that just me?)

None of those things are likely viewed by the world as significant actions. But in the kingdom of God, it’s a different story. What is seen as trivial in the world is seen as major to God when it’s done in obedience to Him.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.

Psalm 143:8

When God prompts you to do something, I believe it matters less what He has you do and more whether you do it or not. After all, His prompting isn’t random. There is an intentional purpose behind God’s influence in your life.

Maybe the friend who’s been on your mind is having a hard week.

Maybe the person behind you in line could use some extra kindness.

Maybe the time you spend in prayer will bring the revelation you’ve been needing (although it’s probably more likely that He just wants to spend time with you).

The reality is that we’re not always going to know for sure. But we don’t need to know everything in order to obey Him.

Discerning God’s prompting

When it comes to hearing God’s voice and discerning whether or not a specific desire has been given to us by Him, it’s important for us to ask ourselves if the desire we have aligns with scripture.

God will never contradict His own word, so if you feel led to do something that is contrary to the Bible, then you can be sure that you’re not being prompted by Him to do that thing. On the other hand, if you have a desire that directly aligns with the Bible, then you can feel more confident that it’s something God would want you to do.

I think it's also important for us to examine our motives. Do you want to do a particular thing because it would honor God or because it would look cool on your Instagram story? I won't lie and say that I've never related to the latter, but as Christ followers, receiving praise from the world shouldn’t be our priority. God will always prompt us toward things that glorify Him, as opposed to things that will only elevate ourselves.

When in doubt, it’s wise to pray about every situation and continue to seek His direction. There’s also a lot of value in seeking godly counsel from trusted brothers and sisters in Christ. As confusing as life can feel sometimes, God wants to give us peace in the midst of uncertainty, and He often does so through His people.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Why obedience matters

Obeying God can feel scary, especially when He calls us to things that are outside of our comfort zone. And yet, obeying Him is a crucial part of being a Christian. It’s not about following a strict list of commands out of obligation (which we could never do perfectly anyway, hence our need Jesus), it’s about loving Him enough to surrender to His authority over our lives.

We’re not always going to understand everything God leads us to do. In fact, it’s likely that we often won’t. However, we can trust His heart and know that His way is the best one to follow.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8–9

Trusting God instead of the outcome

I recently experienced a moment where I obeyed what had felt like a prompting from God to do something, but did not have a “successful” outcome. Last month, I applied for a writing fellowship with a Christian organization. After much prayer and talking to a few trusted people about it, I truly believed that it was God’s will for me to do this. Yet, in the end, I wasn’t selected for the program.

I was pretty disappointed when I received the rejection email. However, after a couple of days of reflecting on it, I came to terms with the fact that it was simply not what God wanted for me right now. Is there a chance that I’ll be part of a writing fellowship in the future? Maybe. I honestly hope so.

But the fact of the matter is that I really don’t know if that’s part of His plan for me, so I’m going to wait and see what He has in store. Above the longing to get all of the desires of my heart, I want to continue praying for God to align my desires with His.

I also believe that just because I didn’t get accepted into the program, doesn’t necessarily mean that God didn’t lead me to apply. While applying, I got the opportunity to deeply reflect on my faith in a way that I hadn’t done in a while. Doing so gave me fresh gratitude for Jesus and all He’s done in my life (and continues to do).

Additionally, I got to express a sort of mission statement for why I write, which gave me a new level of motivation and reminded me of the original purpose I had in starting this Substack and in writing my book.

Overall, I don’t regret taking the chance because I can see how God used it—rejection and all—for my good.

The truth is that the outcome of a given situation doesn’t negate the process, nor does it negate what God is doing in and through our lives. When we obey God’s promptings—whether we’re 100% certain about them or not—our trust in Him grows because we learn that our safety is ultimately in Him and not in any situation’s outcome. This allows us to be bolder and take more chances—to do the things that scare us—for His glory and for the good of those around us.

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My debut poetry book Then, Now, and When is available for purchase on Amazon!

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Prayer Requests

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