Unshakable Peace: How To Trust God When Life Feels Out of Control

What do you do when life feels out of control and chaos seems to hit at every turn? Maybe you wake up anxious and afraid to face the day, fearful about a critical conversation, or facing the reality of life changing dramatically after a tragic loss. Sometimes circumstances beyond our control can hit us like a ton of bricks, leaving us wondering what to do next. And then there are those times when everything around us is perfectly quiet, yet the storms of life continue to rage in our minds.

"God remains constant even when everything around us feels uncertain.”

And yet, as believers, no matter what is happening around us, we can rest in the fact that Jesus provides His peace no matter what we’re facing. His peace is not dependent on what is or is not happening around us, but on whether our hearts and minds remain focused on Him. When life throws us a curveball, we may not always understand what God is doing or why He’s allowing certain things in our lives, but we know we can trust who He is and the promises He provides in His Word. God remains constant even when everything around us feels uncertain.

That’s why the Bible addresses fear hundreds of times, not only telling us not to be afraid, but redirecting our fears toward trusting in God. The truth is, we’re going to have moments when we feel uncertain, anxious, or afraid. What matters is what we do when those feelings come. Will we allow fear and anxiety to take over, or will we choose to trust God not matter what is happening around us?

Key Takeaways

Here are three action steps we can take to walk in the peace of God in the middle of life’s shakable moments.

1. Take Your Cares to God in Prayer

If we are honest, sometimes prayer becomes our last resort. We’ll pick up the phone to call our best friend or search Google to get advice on what to do next, anything except bowing our knees and spending time in prayer to hear God’s voice and gain wisdom about how to face what’s happening in our lives.

We must remember that there is nothing too overwhelming for our God to handle and nothing too insignificant to bring to Him. We can bring our prayers and petitions — our specific needs and concerns — to God, and even when we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. So instead of carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders, we can surrender it to our Heavenly Father who loves us.

2. Don't Let Anxiety Take Over

When Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious or worried about anything,” he is not saying that we will never feel anxious. Let’s face it, we are human, and there will be moments when fear and anxiety come. The problem is when we allow those feelings to take over and become the place where we live. We can feel anxious without allowing anxiety to rule our lives.

Philippians 4:7 tells us that God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds. That doesn’t mean that our problems will suddenly disappear or that we will suddenly know all the answers to our most pressing questions. Sometimes we may not know what the future will hold, but one thing is for sure: We don’t have to figure out everything on our own. We can trust God Almighty!

3. Keep Your Mind Focused on Jesus

Isaiah 26:3 says God will keep us in perfect peace when our minds are stayed on Him. That’s why, we can’t fill our minds with negative thoughts, think about everything that could go wrong, and expect to have peace. Sometimes we have to shut out the noise around us and turn our thoughts back to God and focus on His faithfulness, mercy, and goodness.

Philippians 4:8 tells us how to do this by fixing our thoughts on what is true, honorable, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise. That doesn’t mean we act like everything is fine when it isn’t, or ignore what we’re facing. It means we don’t let fear or anxiety rule over us. II Corinthians 10:5 tells us we must take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Jesus Christ. When negative thoughts come, we can stop, examine them, compare them to God’s Word and stand on what God says instead letting our fears speak for us.

Weekly Challenge

Is there something in your life right now that is causing you to feel anxious or afraid? Take time this week to bring it before God in prayer and honestly ask yourself if you are trusting Him with it or worrying about the outcome. Surrender it to Him and remember that you don’t have to know how everything will work out to have the peace that passes all understanding. You can trust Jesus and allow His peace to guard your heart and mind through every situation, starting today!

Want to go deeper?

Watch Pastor Teresa's message, Unshakable Peace: Peace When Life Isn't Peaceful on YouTube.

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