Have you ever noticed how anxiety doesn’t just live in your thoughts… it lives in your body? Your chest tightens. Your stomach drops. Your shoulders knot. Your mind runs a marathon at 2 a.m. And then, on top of the fear, some of us carry a quieter ache: “If I were really trusting God, would I be feeling this?” And the beat up can begin.
Beloved, that shame isn’t from Papa.
This week, I want to speak tenderness into the place where your heart feels troubled. Not to scold it. Not to “Bible-verse” it into submission. But to let Jesus meet it. Because to trust God in times of trouble isn’t pretending the storm isn’t real. It’s remembering Who is in the boat with you.
This blog is drawn from Episode 319 of Perspectives with Catherine Toon: Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled | Help for Anxiety.
🎬 Watch it here: https://youtu.be/XL_DyF3SNh0
When Anxiety Feels Well-Founded
Sometimes anxiety is obvious: an upcoming decision, a strained relationship, financial pressure, a diagnosis, a child you can’t “fix,” a situation you didn’t choose, a good opportunity that you are afraid you’ll blow.
And sometimes, anxiety is more subtle – like a low-grade hum in the nervous system that says, “Stay alert. Don’t relax. Stay ready.”
Jesus understands this. He spoke to disciples who had very real reasons to feel afraid. Their world was shaking. Their expectations were collapsing. They were facing loss, uncertainty, and danger.
And He didn’t start with condemnation. He started with an invitation:
Don’t worry or surrender to your fear. For you’ve believed in God, now trust and believe in Me also. – John 14:1, TPT
Notice what He doesn’t say: “How dare you feel this.”
He says, “In the feeling of it, don’t surrender to it.”
That means fear may be present – but it doesn’t get to be your master. Trouble may be knocking – but it doesn’t get to own your inner world. You can choose past your fear!
This is one of the most healing shifts in learning to trust God in times of trouble: I can acknowledge what I feel without being ruled by it.
Simply put. Fear doesn’t get to be your boss. And it definitely doesn’t get to be your bully!
You’re Not In Trouble For Having A Troubled Heart
Beloved, many sincere believers feel condemned for feeling anxiety – like fear is proof you’re failing at faith. But having a troubled heart isn’t a shame sentence. It’s an invitation to encounter God again.
Think of this. Jesus was tempted in every way as we are, so He understands what it is like to be human – feeling many things, including fear and anxiety (Heb. 12:15). And yet scripture said He did not sin. So the feeling of fear and anxiety is not failure or a sin. It is human.
And I want you to hear this clearly: if you are “all over the map” emotionally, God is not annoyed with you. He isn’t distant. He isn’t withholding His presence until you calm down and “get it together.”
If you’re all over the map… He’s with you all over the map. David asked where could he flee from God’s presence, even in hell God is there (Psalm 139:7-8). Faith isn’t never feeling fear, it is recognizing God is constant and with you in wherever you are.
Our awareness of His presence may wax and wane, but Papa is rock-steady. Love doesn’t abandon you in the swirl of emotions. Love stays.
So instead of berating yourself for feeling anxious, you can tell the truth without apprehension:
“Jesus, my heart feels troubled.”
“Holy Spirit, I feel fear rising.”
“Papa, I need Your steadiness.”
This is what beloved sons and daughters do. They run toward Love, not away from Him.
Trust Without Your Script
A lot of our anxiety can be tied to this hidden demand we didn’t realize we were making – “God, I’ll trust You… if You solve it the way I would, when I would.”
But the long game of Love is rarely scripted the way we’d prefer.
There are times I’ve prayed and seen quick solutions – beautiful, tangible, miraculous answers that made me weep with gratitude.
And there are other times when God meets me deeply… but the circumstances don’t change according to my preferences and my timeline.
That doesn’t mean He isn’t faithful. It means He’s doing more than short-term relief. He’s forming you into a person who can walk through storms without losing your belonging.
This is why learning to trust God in times of trouble can feel like a re-ordering: not just “make it stop,” but “make me steady.”
And sometimes, the most loving thing God does is strengthen the roots while you’re still in the wind.
Peace Inside The Storm
Let’s talk about the storm story – because this is so many of us.
The disciples are in a violent storm, waves crashing, boat filling, nervous systems screaming, “We’re going down.”
And Jesus is asleep.
They wake Him with the question every anxious heart eventually asks:
“Don’t You care?”
But what does Jesus do?
He doesn’t shame them for the question. He reveals something about Himself that they hadn’t fully trusted yet by rebuking the storm and stilling the sea.
Later, after He calms the storm, He goes after the fear under the fear:
Then He turned to His disciples and said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Haven’t you learned to trust yet?” – Mark 4:40, TPT
That question isn’t condemnation. It’s an invitation into intimacy.
Because the transformation isn’t simply “no storms.” It’s “I know Him.”
There’s a shift from: “Don’t You care?”
to: “I know You.”
That is destiny-level transformation.
And beloved, peace doesn’t mean your problems disappear. Peace means His presence can hold you inside the storm.
The Long Game Of Love
I wish I could tell you that every problem resolves quickly. But Jesus Himself said tribulation is part of this world. And yet – He also told us to be of good courage.
Why?
Because God is faithful in the long game.
Even when you can’t see the solution, Love is still working. Even when it doesn’t make sense, He is still good. Even when the timeline feels brutal, He is still present.
And there’s something that happens when you keep choosing trust, even in tiny ways. Your inner world starts to settle. Your heart becomes less tense. Your imagination becomes less catastrophic. Your soul learns: “I am not alone. Papa is with me.”
One of my favorite verses for when I need to trust God in times of trouble is this:
Give God the right to direct your life, and as you trust Him along the way, you’ll find He pulled it off perfectly! – Psalm 37:5, TPT
Isn’t that gorgeous? Now, I know – some of you read that and think, “Catherine, I don’t feel like it’s being pulled off perfectly right now.”
Beloved, neither did the disciples in the storm.
But the story wasn’t over.
And your story isn’t over either.
Cast The Care, Unclench The Fists
Anxiety often comes with control behaviors – mental rehearsing, trying to predict outcomes, clenching, striving, self-protecting. This is your limbic system trying to keep you safe from impending danger—fight, flight, freeze or fawn. And we can get trapped in a hyperalert loop despite ourselves. This can even be so long-standing and ongoing that it feels normal.
So let’s bring safety back in – not by force, but by surrender.
This is not passivity. This is active transfer.
Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:7, NKJV
Casting means you don’t keep holding it politely. You throw it – on purpose – onto the shoulders of the One strong enough to carry it. And we can do that because He cares about what matters to you because He cares so deeply for you.
So if you’re anxious, you can practice this in real time:
“Jesus, I cast this fear onto You.”
“Papa, I release the outcome to You.”
“Holy Spirit, steady my body and my mind.”
And if you have to do that 47 times in a day – well, ding da-ding ding ding – do it 47 times! That’s not failure. That’s training your nervous system to come home. It’s brilliant!
A Gentle Practice For Today
Try this, beloved – slow and simple:
- Put a hand on your chest.
- Inhale gently. Exhale longer than you inhale.
- Whisper: “Nobody panic. Jesus has it covered.”
- Ask: “Papa, what do You want me to trust You with today?”
- Listen for one small next step – one piece of reassurance – one invitation to rest.
You don’t have to force yourself into peace. You receive peace the same way you receive Love: by letting Him be near.
This just makes me so happy – because the point isn’t proving how strong you are. The point is discovering how faithful He is.
And beloved… God is faithful regardless of “our” faith because that is just Who He is!
Go Deeper
If you want to go deeper with this message, watch Episode 319 here: https://youtu.be/XL_DyF3SNh0
And here are a few companion reads to support you as you learn to trust God in times of trouble and let His peace hold you in the storm:
Beloved, you are not disqualified because your heart feels troubled. You are being met. You can trust God in times of trouble. And as you learn to trust – especially when the “solution” doesn’t look like your script – you will find Love faithful in the long game.
Love, Catherine Toon