What does trusting God look like when life feels heavy?
A good responsibility can become a heavy one. You can care deeply about your family, your work or a dream for the future and begin to feel that you must hold every piece together. Jeremy Johnson’s message invites us to bring that pressure to God while remaining willing to do the part in front of us.
Jeremy uses the picture of handing a pen back to God. He describes beginning with trust, then finding himself trying to direct the story again. His prayer offers God his time, energy and plans. The question for us is personal: where have we started carrying a responsibility as though the whole outcome depends on us?
Remember whose work you are part of
In Matthew 16:13 to 19, Peter identifies Jesus as the Messiah, and Jesus speaks about building his church. Jeremy returns to that promise as a reminder of who is leading the work. He describes learning to serve without treating the church as something he owns or must sustain by himself.
He shares a personal story about the pressure of paying for a meeting place and bringing that responsibility to God in prayer. The story expresses his trust in God. The practical invitation is to be honest about the pressure, keep listening and ask what faithfulness looks like today.
The welcome you received can become the welcome you give
The full message opens with Isaiah 61:1 to 4 and its language of good news, comfort and restoration. Jeremy connects that hope with the life of a church that makes room for people. He describes people arriving afraid or unsure and later becoming the people who welcome someone else.
That change can begin in an ordinary moment. Greet someone you have not met. Introduce yourself. Make room for a person who seems uncertain about where to go. A small welcome matters because belonging often begins with another person noticing you. Jeremy’s invitation is to offer the time, gifts and willingness you actually have, where you actually are.
Move from attending to participating
Jeremy asks how we will respond to what God is doing now. We can be present and still hesitate to take part. We can also overlook the value of a simple act of service because it seems smaller than someone else’s role. This message calls us to consider what we have received and what we can give.
You do not have to copy another person’s contribution. Choose one concrete response: start a conversation, make an invitation or offer help. At Fearless, you can explore serving opportunities or find community through X18 Crews, Clubs and Outreach in The Table. If you are new, begin with a Sunday visit and a conversation.
Take one faithful step this week
Name one responsibility that feels heavy. Bring it to God in an honest prayer, then identify the part you can act on today. Consider one person you could welcome or one place you could serve. Let your response be specific enough that you can actually do it.
Use the questions below on your own or with your Crew. Watch the full message for Jeremy’s teaching and the context behind these reflections.
Make it personal
Take it into your week.
- What part of your life feels as though everything depends on you?
- What would trusting God and taking responsibility look like together this week?
- When has someone’s welcome helped you feel that you belong?
- What is one practical way you could help another person feel welcome?
The original message
Why not us? Why not here? Why not now?
Watch on YouTubeExplore the source.
This article draws from the original message and its study material. The video is the source for the pastor’s teaching; this reflection is not a verbatim transcript.