Are You 100% Clear On What You're Asking God?

Before you ask God for guidance, try this four-question clarity test. Then, share your question in the comments and I'll try to let you know what I think.

Jun 10, 2025

We’re exploring the five steps that will prime you to hear from God: 1) Clarify the Question, 2) Set a Deadline, 3) Name Your Options, 4) Pray for Indifference, and 5) Ask for Guidance.

As the end of graduate school approached, I felt haunted by a question that many people feel as commencement nears: Now, what?

Four years earlier, I had made the decision to apply for a graduate program—a decision that meant I didn’t have to ask that question for a few years. But, four years went by fast, and suddenly, I was in my late twenties, married with a child under the age of two, and about to graduate.

I couldn’t put off the question any longer.

This wasn’t the first time I’d asked a question like, “Now, what?” to God—and, I’m sure it won’t be the last time.

You’ve probably asked God a question like that at some point in your life, and maybe you’re asking it right now. It’s just one of the many questions in what author Priscilla Shirer calls the “ever-changing catalog of intricately woven inquiries” that you bring before God over the course of your life.1

But, if you’re anything like me, you don’t always know exactly what it is that you’re asking God and, sometimes, you’re asking the wrong question entirely.

What Question Are You Asking God?

When I read through the Bible, noting all the ways that people experienced God’s guidance, one of the phrases I kept noticing was “inquire of the Lord.”

The Hebrew word (sha’al) that’s behind the word “inquire” commonly means to ask someone a question, and it’s a reminder that seeking God’s guidance has often looked like simply asking God a question.

Here’s a few of the questions people asked God in the Bible:

“Who will be the first to fight for us against the Canaanites?” (Judges 1:1)
“Has the man come here yet?” (1 Samuel 10:22)
“Should I launch an attack against the Phillistines?” (1 Samuel 23:2)
“Should I go to one of the towns of Judah?” (2 Samuel 2:1)

You’re probably not asking the same questions—at least, I hope not. (Please don’t go looking for any Philistines to attack.) But, maybe, you’ve found yourself “inquiring of the Lord” and asking questions like some of these:

Should I propose?
Should I break up?
What should I do with my life?
Should I move to a new city?
Should I quit my job and take this new opportunity?
Should I stay at home to focus on the kids?
Should we buy this house?
Should we start having kids?
When is it time to retire?

I’ve asked some of these questions, I’ve sat with people who are asking many of these questions, and, as I’ve seen in the comments, many of you in this email newsletter community are asking questions like these as well.

But, how do we know if we’re even asking the right question?

How to Clarify Your Question

Let’s get this out of the way: You don’t have to ask the perfect question in order to experience God’s guidance. If you obsess over asking the right question in the right way at the right time, you might not ever ask God anything at all. And, failing to “inquire of the Lord” is often more problematic than inquiring with an imperfect question.

God knows what you’re trying to ask—even if you struggle to articulate it.

As Paul writes, “In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us, with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27)

That’s why, if anything, clarifying your question is an exercise that’s primarily for your own good. To help you clarify your own question, here’s a four question test you can use that will help you refine it.

1) Is your question too vague?

Often, you know that you want God’s guidance, but you’re not exactly clear what specific area of your life you’re asking God to speak into.

For example, simply asking, “Now what?,” as commencement approached, was unclear. Was I asking for his guidance in my marriage, where I should live, what I should do for work, or something else—or all of that at once?

If your question feels vague, try to get more specific in what you’re asking—just one area of your life or one decision you’re facing.

2) Is your question too big?

You might be asking for God’s guidance in an area that is simply beyond your circle of influence, responsibility, or expertise.

If your question is too big, start with a smaller question. God isn’t usually going to give you guidance that you don’t have the authority to actually do anything with. Downsize your question until it pertains to a decision you actually have the power to make.

3) Is your question too shallow?

In therapy, there’s this idea of the “presenting issue.” It’s the issue that prompted you to seek counseling in the first place. But, often, once you start talking about the presenting issue, you discover that there’s a deeper issue that needs to be addressed.

The same is true with the questions we ask God.

Often, the “presenting question” is just scratching the surface of the deeper question we need to ask God for guidance about. Ruth Haley Barton says, “Even when we think we know what the question is and have agreed that it is a matter for discernment, there might be a larger question lurking underneath that holds even greater significance for us.”2

When I was approaching commencement, I wasn’t just asking about what I was supposed to do for work, it was a deeper question about my sense of calling. If your question feels too shallow, what’s the question behind your question?

4) Is your question too soon?

Sometimes, you’re simply asking a question at the wrong time in your life.

You’re asking questions about where to get your Ph.D. before you even know where to do your undergrad. You’re asking questions about your kids' schooling before you’ve even had kids.

Rarely do our lives go according to our ten-year life plans, which is why there are times that God might say, “Ask me that again in ten years. What’s the question you’re supposed to be asking today?”

What’s Your Question in One Sentence?

When I teach people how to listen for God’s guidance, we always start by trying to write the question they are asking in one clear sentence. Then, we write it at the center of a piece of paper, napkin, or whatever we have available.

I encourage you to do the same: In one sentence, what’s the question you’re asking for God’s guidance about? Write it down. Make sure it’s not too vague, too big, too shallow, or too soon.

Share it with a trusted friend and see if they think what you’re asking is clear. Or, I’ll tell you what, share it in the comments, and I’ll let you know what I think.