Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
7 27 2026
The Panic Before Peace – The Worship of Trust
I have talked with so many people lately who are more than just struggling financially. Electric bills. Gasoline. Medical emergencies. A mortgage that suddenly feels too big. The panic may not have arrived yet, but the stress and anxiety have already settled in. You can hear it in people’s voices. You can see it in their eyes. Maybe you’re living there right now, wondering, What are we going to do next month?
I understand.
When I tell you God has been speaking to me too, I don’t mean He’s been giving me easy answers. He’s been reminding me to do everything I can…and then a little more…and then rest. Trust Him.
That doesn’t mean ignoring reality. It doesn’t mean pretending the bills aren’t real. It means making wise plans, working diligently, refusing to let fear paralyze me, and then placing what I cannot control into the hands of the One who can.
Did you notice I didn’t say, “Sing another worship song?”
I said, trust Him. And then, I wondered if we’ve misunderstood worship.
We often think worship begins when the music starts. But I believe God says worship begins when trust starts.
Every day fear asks for your worship, But those same days God asks for your trust.
When was the last time you heard someone say, “You can’t outgive God”? We usually think about money when we hear those words. But doesn’t that also apply to our trust? Can we ever out-trust a God who has been faithful for thousands of years? Can we honor Him more than He has already proven Himself worthy to be honored?
Then the questions begin.
“Yeah, but how do I stop being anxious about money when the threat is so real? Is it even possible to have joy when everything around me is falling apart? What does it even mean to worship God with my finances when I can’t afford to tithe…or even pay the mortgage?”
Those are honest questions. And maybe the answer isn’t found in your bank account.
Maybe worship has never been about how much you have.
Maybe worship has always been about who you trust.
God keeps calling us back to Himself, not because He doesn’t know our circumstances, but because He knows what fear does to the human heart. Fear slowly steals our peace, our perspective, and eventually our faith, if we allow it.
The joy of the Lord is not denial… It is trust….And trust is never easy.
How can you walk in joy when your tears are screaming a different story?
You can’t.
Not in your own strength.
Years ago someone told me that happiness depends upon happenings, but the joy of God depends upon faith in what cannot yet be seen. Happiness waits for circumstances to change. Joy believes God before they do.
That has become one of the hardest lessons of my life.
Romans tells us to call those things that are not as though they are. Some have misunderstood that verse as though we are trying to convince God of something. I don’t believe that’s the point.
God doesn’t need convincing….I do.
Sometimes I have to speak His Word out loud, not because He can’t hear my prayers, but because I need to raise my voice about His truth to penetrate my own stubborn thinking. The battlefield is my mind. Fear keeps talking. Doubt keeps arguing. Anxiety keeps rehearsing every possible disaster.
So I answer it.
“No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”
“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”
“God has NOT given me a spirit of fear…”
Again.
And again.
And again.
Have you ever tried to remove a stubborn stain from your favorite shirt? You don’t wash it once and quit. You treat it again. You scrub it with a little brush until finally the stain begins to disappear. Then one day you hold it up, smile, and say, “It’s gone.”
Faith often works the same way….Fear leaves stains on our thinking.
We don’t remove them by quoting one verse one time. We return to God’s Word again and again until His truth begins washing over our minds. Little by little His peace replaces our panic. His promises become louder than our fears.
Maybe your panic isn’t financial.
Maybe it’s cancer.
Maybe it’s the rumblings of divorce.
Maybe it’s a prodigal son or daughter.
Maybe it’s something no one else even knows about.
Does it really matter what the crisis is called?
Isn’t every battle ultimately asking the same question?
Will I trust God…or will I surrender to fear?
Jesus said, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)
Notice what He didn’t say…. He didn’t promise a temporary financial rescue.
He didn’t promise a life without hardship.
He promised a Kingdom.
A Kingdom where God Himself reigns over every circumstance.
A Kingdom where the Shepherd never abandons His sheep.
How many nights have I whispered, “The Lord is my Shepherd…I shall not want.”
Over and over.
Not because those words are magical.
But because they remind me that Shepherd is more than a title.
It is His heart.
It is His covering.
It is His promise. And they MUST become my words and my truth and my faith.
Jeremiah said, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart.” (Jeremiah 15:16)
Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
The problem is that too many of us have been feeding somewhere else.
We’ve been feeding on fear.
On discouragement.
On panic.
On endless bad news.
On the voice of the enemy who has always sought to steal, kill, and destroy.
No wonder our souls are starving.
Today, God is inviting us back to His table.
Back to His Word….Back to His promises….Back to His peace.
My friend, I am not writing you a Hallmark card today.
I am reminding both of us where life is found. I wrote this piece from my knees… not for a lesson I wanted to talk with you about. But when God does this to me, He is also telling me that I am not alone… Talk to them.
Fear will knock on your door again. Maybe tonight. Maybe before this day is over.
When it does, remember this:
Every day fear asks for your worship. Every day God asks for your trust.
And every time you choose to trust Him in the middle of what you cannot control,
you have worshiped Him more deeply than words or songs alone ever could.
So, choose you this day, who you will serve.
Every day…sometimes every hour, you will be in another spiritual confrontation for your beliefs.
For the very heart of – the essence of things hoped for.
Bottom line…“Who will you worship when life hurts?”
Hold Me, God – Enya & Andrea Bocelli
“What part of this hit home for you this morning? What are you carrying today that needs prayer? If you’d like, send me a prayer request here. Let’s invite the Holy Spirit in together. (where two are gathered.) You are not walking alone. Just hit reply…
I read every response.”
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