From Tension to Trust: 5 Days of Trading Fear for FaithSample

Tension isn’t a sign you’re doing something wrong.

It’s a sign you’re being stretched toward deeper trust.

It’s the in-between space, the sacred ground between your prayer and God’s provision. And while everything in us wants to rush past it, today I want to invite you to pay attention to the tension instead.

Because tension is a teacher.

Yesterday, we explored a daily rhythm from Philippians 4: pray, give thanks, and receive peace. It’s a beautiful way to cultivate peace over time, like tending a garden.

Today’s rhythm is different. It’s for the real-time pressure moments: the spike of stress, the anxious thoughts, the decision that’s weighing heavily.

This four-step process is something you can return to again and again to move from anxious striving to quiet trust. It won’t solve every problem or make the waiting go away, but it will help you walk through it with God instead of apart from him.

Tension shows up in our clenched fists, tight jaws, short tempers, and sleepless nights. It often carries a message, like:
“You’re behind.”
“It’s all on you.”
“God’s not coming through fast enough.”

But beneath those messages is often a deeper lie—the belief that we have to understand it, fix it, figure it out, and that the outcome depends on us.

That’s why, when tension rises, we don’t have to panic. We can pause. Breathe. And walk through this simple four-step rhythm. It’s a grace-paced practice that helps us return to trust.

Here’s how:

Recognize
Notice the tension. Get curious about it. What’s the situation causing it? Where do you feel it in your body? What lie might be fueling it? (Maybe it’s: “If I don’t fix this, everything will fall apart.”)

This moment of awareness is the first step in shifting from anxiety to trust.

Renew
Now gently turn your heart toward God. Not with polished answers, but with a simple prayer:

“God, show me who you are for me in this.”

You don’t have to figure out how God is going to work things out, or what exactly he’s going to do next. That’s his job. Your part is to water your trust with truth—truth about who he is. Let that truth settle your heart. He is faithful. He is wise. He is kind. He is near. He is the CEO, the one who provides, directs, and supplies everything you need.

Release
Here’s the hard part and the holy part.

Let it go. Not the situation, but the sense that it all depends on you.

You might try opening your hands in prayer or picturing your worry as a helium balloon released into the sky.

Develop a visual or physical “release ritual” that reminds your heart: “This is yours, God. I trust you.”

Repeat
The tension will probably come back. That’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up. This isn’t a test you’re failing. It’s a rhythm you’re learning. Every return of tension is a new invitation to trust.

This isn’t a one-time event. It’s a moment-by-moment conversation with God. And it’s how we begin to move from frantic striving to steady faith.

Neuroscience affirms this, too. When we name what we’re feeling, reflect on truth, and make an intentional shift (like a hand-opening ritual), we interrupt the brain’s stress cycle and retrain it to respond with calm and trust instead of fear.

God wired us not just to survive pressure but to be transformed by it.

So the next time the tension rises, don’t run. Pause. Pay attention. And walk through the rhythm again.

You’re not failing. You’re being formed.

Prayer:
Lord, I feel the tension rising again. It’s tempting to fix, fret, or figure everything out. But instead, I choose to pause. I recognize what’s happening in me, and I remember who you are. I release this situation to you. Teach me to trust you again and again. Even in the tension. Especially in the tension. Amen.

Tomorrow, we’ll uncover the surprising shift that brings peace even when the tension refuses to lift.