The Low-Stress Miracle: When Faith Becomes Rest

Then He showed me something that changed everything: I was living in faith's counterfeit—religious striving dressed up as spiritual obedience.

The Shift Nobody Sees Coming

Remember Peter from Part 1? Sinking while walking on water? There's a detail we missed.

After Jesus catches him, they get back in the boat. The storm immediately stops. And here's what the disciples say: "Truly you are the Son of God" (Matthew 14:33 NIV). They worshiped. Not because Jesus calmed the storm—He'd done that before. They worshiped because they finally understood something: The same power that calmed the storm was in the boat with them the whole time.

From "God, Are You Sure?" to "God's Got This"

Here's the progression I've lived and watched others live:

Stage 1: "God, are you even there?" This is where we all start. Crying out, desperate, wondering if anyone's listening.
Stage 2: "God, are you sure about this?" We hear Him. We obey. But we question every step. This is white-knuckle faith—real but exhausting.
Stage 3: "God's got this." This is where faith becomes rest. Not passive. Not careless. But peaceful obedience.

The shift from Stage 2 to Stage 3 isn't about trying harder. It's about a fundamental revelation of who God actually is.

The Proverbs 3 Secret

We quote Proverbs 3:5-6 like it's a greeting card. But there's explosive truth hidden in plain sight: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" (NIV). Catch this—it doesn't say He'll make your paths easy. Or short. Or profitable. It says straight. Straight to what? To where He's taking you. Here's what broke my control addiction: The destination was never my business. My business was the next step.

Why We Stay Stressed

Let me get uncomfortably specific. We stay stressed in our calling because:

1. We're still CEO of outcomes We'll let God be advisor, but we won't let Him be boss.
2. We measure by the wrong metrics We count dollars instead of obedience. Followers instead of faithfulness.
3. We confuse our part with God's part Our part: obedience. God's part: literally everything else.
4. We have backup plans Real trust doesn't have a Plan B. It has a deeper Plan A.

The Practical Shift

Here's how this actually worked in my life. I was lying awake at 3 AM (again), stressed about finances. Running the same numbers for the hundredth time. Then the Holy Spirit asked me one question:

"Chris, who told you this was your business to sustain?"

Gut punch.

I'd been treating God's calling like my weight, my burden... Like He was a silent investor who gave seed money but expected me to make it work. That night, I did something that felt like death but was actually resurrection. I said out loud: "God, this is YOUR assignment, your businesses, your church, your books, YOUR assignment. You called it into being. You sustain it. I'll show up tomorrow and do what You tell me to do. The rest is on You."

The Low-Stress Miracle

Here's what happened next.

• The 3 AM panic sessions stopped
• Decisions became clearer (less options when you're only listening for one voice)
• Provision came from unexpected places
• My family noticed I was actually present, not just physically there
• Work became worship instead of worry
• The business challenges didn't disappear. But my relationship to them transformed.

Real-Life Application

Let's get practical about living this out:

For Your Calling: Stop asking "How will this work?" Start asking "What's the next obedient step?"

For Your Provision: Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (NIV). Not seek first your stability. Not seek first your security. Seek first His Kingdom. Everything else is His department.

For Your Family: Your stressed obedience is teaching them that following God is exhausting. Your peaceful obedience shows them it's sustainable.

For Your Decisions: When you're actually trusting God, decisions get simpler. Not easier—simpler. One voice to follow instead of twenty to balance.

The Recognition Test

How do you know when you've shifted from striving to rest? Here are the markers:

1. You sleep through the night Not because everything's solved, but because it's not yours to solve.
2. You can say no without guilt Every opportunity isn't an obligation when you're following one voice.
3. You celebrate others' wins Scarcity mindset dies when you realize God's provision isn't limited.
4. You work from rest, not for it Sabbath becomes a rhythm, not a reward.
5. Peace in the storm feels normal Not the absence of storms—peace in them.

The Ultimate Example

Jesus modeled this perfectly. In Mark 4:38, He's literally sleeping in a boat during a storm that has professional fishermen terrified. He wasn't stressed about the storm because He knew who He was and whose He was. That's the shift. From "I hope God comes through" to "I know who God is."

The Journey Forward

This isn't a one-time decision. It's a daily surrender. Some days I nail it. Some days I find myself white-knuckling again.

But here's what I know now that I didn't know before:

The God who called you is faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6). The God who called you has already provided for it (Philippians 4:19). The God who called you is not surprised by any plot twist (Isaiah 46:10).

Your job isn't to make it work. Your job is to walk in what He's already working.

Your Move This Week

Time to make the shift from stressed obedience to restful trust:

1. Name what you're controlling - What outcome are you still CEO of?
2. Transfer ownership - Literally tell God, "This is Yours to sustain."
3. Define your obedience - What's your part today? Just today.
4. Practice the pause - When stress rises, stop. Breathe. Remember whose business this is.
5. Document the peace - Write down moments when trust feels real. You'll need to remember.

The Promise That Changes Everything

Jesus makes an outrageous promise in Matthew 11:28-30:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (NIV). He doesn't promise no yoke. He promises His yoke. The difference? His yoke fits. His burden is sized for His shoulders, not yours.

The Final Truth

That low-stress life you're craving? It's not found in easier circumstances. It's not found in clearer confirmation. It's not even found in bigger faith.

It's found in transfer of ownership. The moment you stop trying to be God of your calling is the moment you start experiencing the God of peace in your calling. The shift from "God, are you sure?" to "God's got this" isn't about certainty.

It's about surrender.

And in that surrender? That's where faith finally becomes rest. Not someday. Today. Right now. In the middle of whatever storm you're navigating. He's got this. He's always had this.

Time to open your hands and live like it's true.

Because it is.


Onward...

Chris Behnke