Faith Over Feelings: Trusting God Even on an Off Day

Editor’s note – We all have mornings that start heavier than they should, with no clear reason why. This author’s reflection on pressing into Scripture and prayer before feelings catch up is a simple, honest picture of what it looks like to trust God’s character over your own shifting moods. It is a good reminder that faith was never meant to wait for the right feeling to show up first.

Today started as an off day.

I’m not really sure why. I slept, got up, and started my day like usual, but I just didn’t feel as positive as I normally do. There wasn’t one specific thing I could point to and say, This is what’s wrong.

But even though I didn’t feel like myself, I made myself start the day the way I’ve been intentionally trying to – with God. I read the Bible, prayed, and asked Him to direct my day. I acknowledged how I was feeling, but I also reminded myself that my feelings don’t have more authority in my life than my faith.

Feelings are real, and I don’t think we need to pretend they aren’t there. If I’m discouraged, frustrated, tired, or just feeling off, I can acknowledge that. But I don’t have to allow those feelings to determine what I believe about God or where my thoughts are going to go for the rest of the day.

I Realized I Still Had Something to Learn

After my devotions, I spent some time brainstorming and working on my Substack. I’ve had my account for several months, but I’ve only recently started being consistent with it. I’m still learning how the platform works and how I want to build my community there.

Originally, I was concentrating primarily on writing posts for paid subscribers. But as I did more research and brainstorming today, I realized that I was getting ahead of myself. If I want to build a community of paid subscribers, I first need to give people a chance to discover my writing, get to know me, and decide whether they want to join.

So I’m changing my approach. My current plan is to publish three free articles each month and one article specifically for paid subscribers. Paid subscribers will also receive additional content, including an audio devotional, subscriber-only chats, and a monthly downloadable faith resource.

I actually felt much better about the direction after taking the time to learn more. But it also made me laugh a little at myself because I had thought I knew what I was doing. I’m new to building on Substack – why would I expect myself to already know everything?

And that thought led me somewhere deeper.

Editor’s note – The author’s willingness to admit a change of plans is the same posture Proverbs commends: gladly corrected rather than stubbornly right. That kind of teachability tends to show up in small decisions long before anyone notices it in bigger ones.

We Don’t Have to Know Everything

There’s never going to be a point where I’ve learned everything there is to know about writing, business, or anything else I’m doing. I can have confidence in the skills God has given me while still remaining teachable. There’s a difference between confidence and thinking I already have all the answers.

That’s even more important in my relationship with God.

God is omniscient. He knows everything. He is omnipotent, all-powerful, and omnipresent, present everywhere. Yet how often do we approach a situation as though we have to figure everything out?

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “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.”

I’ve read those verses many times, but lean not on your own understanding means more to me the older I get. I don’t have to know everything. In fact, there’s tremendous peace in admitting to God, “I don’t know what I’m doing here. I need Your wisdom.”

James 1:5 gives us such a practical promise: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.”

That’s exactly what I want to keep doing.

Editor’s note – James 1:5 is one of Scripture’s most direct promises, yet believers rarely ask outright. Admitting we don’t know what we’re doing is not weakness in prayer; it is the doorway God built for wisdom to enter.

An Off Day Doesn’t Have to Become a Bad Day

Looking back at how my day started, I’m actually thankful that I didn’t feel completely like myself this morning. It gave me another opportunity to practice something God has been teaching me.

Arrow: When I feel off, I don’t have to spiral. I can press in.

I can open my Bible when I don’t feel like opening it. I can pray when my thoughts are scattered. I can tell God exactly how I’m feeling and then remind myself of what I know to be true about Him.

And I can ask for help.

God never asked me to accomplish everything in my own strength. He has given us family, friends, other believers, and wise people who can help us along the way. Most importantly, as believers, the Holy Spirit works in us, guiding us and helping us become who God is calling us to be.

If I want what I’m doing with my writing, my business, my relationships, and the rest of my life to ultimately bring glory to God, then I can’t keep trying to operate independently from Him. I want Him to have full access. I want Him involved when everything is going well, and I want my first response when things aren’t going well to be running toward Him rather than away from Him.

This morning I didn’t feel particularly positive, but I didn’t need to feel positive before I could seek God.

That’s something I’m learning more and more. Faith isn’t pretending I don’t have feelings. It’s choosing to trust what I know about God even when my feelings are telling me something different.

And today, what started as an off day taught me something I needed to remember: I don’t have to have all the answers. I just need to stay close to the One who does.

When you wake up and can already tell you’re having an off day, what do you do? Have you trained yourself to open God’s Word and pray even on mornings when you don’t feel like it?

A Word from the Editor
Proverbs 3:5-6 does not promise an explanation for every off morning; it promises a straight path when we stop leaning on our own reading of things. Feelings will keep showing up uninvited, but they were never given a vote in what we believe about God. Open the Word before you feel like it, and let obedience lead your feelings back to where they belong.

Editor Comment: As you said, we need to trust God's wisdom over our own fluctuating feelings, and that kind of surrendered dependence is exactly what Proverbs 3:5-6 calls us toward.

This article appeared on Medium and is reprinted with modifications and by permission.