When You Don’t Know What to Do
Daily Devotional — Thursday, September 3, 2026
“For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” — 2 Chronicles 20:12, NKJV
Heart Change Insight
“We feel the pressure on the inside to act—to do something, anything, even if it is wrong. But often, we do not know what to do.” — David A. Case, The Anxiety Iceberg eBook
Few things make us want control more than feeling helpless.
We usually prefer to know what to do. A clear next step settles something inside us. We can make a phone call, have the conversation, solve the problem, organize the pieces, or start moving toward an answer. Even difficult circumstances can feel more manageable when we know how to respond.
The harder moments are often the ones when we genuinely do not know what to do.
Maybe you have prayed and still do not have clarity. Someone you love is making choices you cannot change. A situation keeps developing in ways you did not expect. You have tried what you know to try, and nothing seems to be moving. There is no obvious decision, no guaranteed solution, and no action you can take that will make the uncertainty disappear.
That is when anxiety can begin pressing particularly hard.
When Not Knowing Makes Us Feel Powerless
The Anxiety Iceberg describes the pressing layer as something that often happens when we feel powerless or insecure. Human beings do not like helplessness. When fear rises, we instinctively want to do something that gives us a sense of control, even when there is no clear action that will actually resolve what is making us anxious.
That helps explain why waiting can feel so difficult.
If I am doing something, I can at least feel as though I am influencing the outcome. If I am waiting, listening, or admitting that I do not yet know, I may feel exposed. Anxiety can interpret that open space as danger and begin insisting that some action must be better than no action.
So we press.
We send the message before we are settled. We have the conversation before we know what needs to be said. We make a decision mainly because having any decision feels better than uncertainty. We try to force clarity, push someone for an answer, or keep searching long after wisdom has told us to stop and wait.
Sometimes the action itself is not the main issue. The question is what is driving it.
Am I responding because I have clarity about my next step or because I cannot tolerate the feeling of not knowing?
That question can reveal a great deal.
In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat was facing a threat he did not have the strength to overcome. His prayer is striking because he does not pretend to have an answer. He says, “We have no power… nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
There is humility in that prayer, but there is also faith.
He does not confuse "I do not know" with "God does not know."
That is an important distinction for anxious hearts.
Not knowing what to do does not mean God has stopped working. It does not mean you missed your only opportunity. It does not mean you have failed because a solution has not appeared yet. Sometimes “I don’t know yet” is simply the most truthful place we can stand before God.
When God has not shown something to us yet, humility admits that we do not know and leaves room to wait, receive, and recognize what He is doing when the time comes. We do not need to manufacture an answer simply because uncertainty is uncomfortable.
The Anxiety Iceberg material makes a move from control toward faith. Believing means trusting that God is working even when we are not in control, that He can redeem what we cannot fix, and that He may use people, timing, tools, and pathways outside the ones we currently see.
That means waiting is not necessarily doing nothing.
Waiting can be very active spiritually.
We can pray. We can stay connected. We can listen. We can continue doing what is already clear. We can ask wise people to pray with us. We can watch for what God is doing right here, right now instead of trying to force tomorrow into focus before it is time.
Sometimes there really is something to do. When God makes that clear, we should act.
Sometimes the faithful response is to stop pressing long enough to recognize that clarity has not been given yet.
There is no shame in that.
We do not have to answer every question today. We do not have to resolve every uncertainty before nightfall. We do not have to make an outcome move simply to reassure ourselves that something is happening.
God can work while we wait.
He can work where we cannot see.
He can prepare people we cannot reach, arrange timing we cannot manufacture, and bring understanding that would not have come through greater pressure.
Our part is not to know everything.
Our part is to keep our eyes on Him.
So when anxiety starts insisting, “Do something!" it may be worth asking another question:
“Has God shown me what to do, or am I trying to escape the discomfort of not knowing?”
Sometimes faith takes a step.
Sometimes faith waits for one.
Both can be obedience.
Reflection Question
Where am I feeling pressure to act mainly because I am uncomfortable admitting, “I don’t know what to do yet”?
Ask God whether there is a faithful step to take now or whether He is inviting you to wait, listen, and keep your eyes on Him.
Prayer
Father, You know how uncomfortable it can be for me when I do not know what to do. Show me where anxiety has been pressing me to manufacture an answer or force an outcome simply so I can feel more in control. Give me humility to admit when I do not know yet and faith to believe that You are still present and working. Help me recognize what is mine to do right here, right now, and give me patience when the next step has not yet been revealed. Keep my eyes on You as I wait for Your direction. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Today's Step of Obedience
Identify one situation where you feel pressure to do something even though you are not sure what the right response is.
Ask:
“What do I actually know right now?”
Then ask:
“Has God given me a next step, or am I trying to create one because waiting feels uncomfortable?”
If a faithful step is clear, take it.
If it is not, give yourself permission to pray:
“Lord, I do not know what to do yet, but my eyes are on You.”
Then remain faithful to what you already know while you wait.
GO DEEPER TOGETHER:
The Anxiety Iceberg Small Group
The Pressing for Control module helps participants recognize what happens when fear creates an urgent need to act, fix, explain, rescue, organize, or regain a sense of control. It also invites us to identify where we feel helpless or afraid, what we instinctively do in response, and what it would look like to trust God rather than lean only on our own understanding.
The seven-week Small Group Kit is available at no cost through September 30, 2026.
Download the kit & bring it to your church leaders
Explore The Anxiety Iceberg
The Pressing for Control layer explores our instinct to act when fear makes us feel powerless. It helps us recognize where anxiety is urging us to control what we cannot control and points us toward trust, humility, connection, and partnership with God.
The eBook, audiobook, self-paced course, and Small Group Kit are available at no cost through September 30, 2026.
Comments