“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Psalm 56:3, NIV).
It's hard to escape the onslaught of fear.
You sip coffee in the sunshine, your Bible app open. You know better than to consume what the world is selling before filling up with the Truth of the Word. But before you start reading, you notice a text from your friend whose marriage has been struggling, and it feels like an SOS. You feel guilty for missing it and fearful of what's to come for her. As you begin praying, you think: If they can't make it, how can anyone?
Back to the Bible.
Before you silence notifications, a headline flashes across your screen. Seven minutes later, you're two articles deep into a conflict half a world away, though the terror is now firmly imprinted on your heart.
As you rush through the rest of the morning, the concerns keep coming.
Welcome to Monday.
It's not that the world has necessarily become more dangerous. It's that we're more aware than ever of everything there is to fear.
Picture your capacity for concern as a large glass jar. Every worry, burden, and responsibility goes inside. The emotional, mental, and spiritual energy you spend caring can only fill so much space. Your capacity to carry the weight of life is finite.
Many of us live as though that jar is bottomless — surprised when we inevitably become overwhelmed.
Your jar doesn't need to be bottomless for you to live faithfully. It simply needs to be stewarded with wisdom and covered by the grace of God. Stewarding your concern isn't apathy. It's worship through trust.
When my own jar feels full, I think of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. In anguish, He knelt and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me” (Luke 22:42, NIV). His sweat was like drops of blood. He asked His friends to stay awake and pray — and they fell asleep. He carried the full weight of what was coming. And He still said, in that same verse, “Not my will, but yours.”
If that was true of Him — fully God, fully human, in perfect communion with the Father — can we stop condemning ourselves for our very human response to the weight we carry?
Fear and faith coexist throughout Scripture. The psalmist didn't say to God, “I am no longer afraid.” He said, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Psalm 56:3).
Fear was present. And so was God.
Bring your full, heavy, overflowing jar to the One who holds it all, trusting He is not surprised by what's inside. You can be scared and still turn toward God. That's not weakness. That's exactly where courage begins.
Lord, I'm scared of things I can control and things I can't, and sometimes I can't tell the difference. Thank You for not being surprised by any of it. Help me to trust Your presence over my perception. When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
For more on trading fear for holy courage, grab a copy of Jess Connolly's new book, You Can't Be Brave Until You're Scared: A Call for Courageous Women to Face Fear, Fight Anxiety, and Awaken Holy Awe. Available wherever books are sold.
Follow Jess on Instagram @jessconnolly or subscribe to her Substack at jessconnolly.substack.com for weekly encouragement on courage, faith, and everyday brave living.
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Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (NIV).
Luke 22:42-44, “‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (NIV).
What has been filling your “concern jar” this week? What would it look like today to bring that full jar to God in prayer rather than trying to empty it yourself?
Where have you believed that feeling overwhelmed means you aren't faithful? How does Jesus in the garden — in genuine anguish, still trusting — change that belief? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
© 2026 by Jess Connolly. All rights reserved.
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