LENT Day 14

Lent Devotional

Day 14 – Thursday, March 5, 2026

"Trusting God When Fear Is Loud"

Author: Pastor Christen

---

Scripture: Mark 4:40 & Psalm 56:3

Fear can be loud. It doesn’t whisper politely. It shouts. It races your thoughts. It plays worst-case scenarios on repeat. It convinces you to grab control instead of surrender.

I remember one of the scariest seasons of my life when fear was so close to dictating my outcome and directing my path instead of letting God lead me. I had left the greatest job I’d ever had with a warm, safe community because I felt God leading me. I knew I had obeyed Him. But within days, I also knew I wasn’t supposed to stay where I was. My house in Decatur hadn’t sold, so much of my income was tied up in a home I wasn’t even living in. I struggled to find safe community. Some of the situations I walked into made me guarded and distrustful.

And for the first time in my life, I couldn’t “go home.” My childhood home had been sold. My mom had just gotten married. Everything familiar felt gone. It felt like I was standing on a bus or subway during constant starts and stops jerked in every direction. The only thing keeping me upright was holding onto a pole. That “pole” was God.

I remember crying out, “Where are You? You got me into this. I know You wouldn’t put me here if You didn’t plan on getting me out.” I started making backup plans. Move here. Try that. Fix it myself. But underneath all the fear and frustration was this steady echo in my heart:

“But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” (Psalm 56:3)

Notice what Psalm 56 doesn’t say. It doesn’t say, “If I am afraid.” It says, “When I am afraid.” Fear will come. Storms will rise. Questions will surface. In Mark 4, the disciples are in the middle of a literal storm. Waves crashing. Wind howling. Jesus asleep. And they cry out, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” Maybe you’ve prayed something similar. But Jesus responds,

“Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

He doesn’t shame them for feeling fear. He invites them to grow beyond letting fear rule them. Faith doesn’t mean fear disappears. It means fear doesn’t get the final word. In that season, if I hadn’t seen God move in crazy, undeniable ways in the past, I’m not sure I would have trusted Him in that moment. But I had history with Him. And that history became my anchor. And here’s what I know now:

God’s plan was so much greater than mine. His timing was better. His path brought me back to D1Naz just in a different capacity than I could have imagined. The storm didn’t destroy me. It deepened me. That “pole” I clung to wasn’t just hope. It was trust. And trust held me steady when everything else felt unstable.

If fear is loud in your life right now, let this be your declaration:

Fear may speak. But it doesn’t decide. God does.

Prayer

Lord, when fear feels louder than Your promises, steady my heart. When I’m tempted to grab control, remind me of Your faithfulness. When I question whether You care, take me back to the cross and remind me of Your love. You have been faithful before, and You will be faithful again. When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. Amen.