Faith is often formed most deeply in the moments when life feels uncertain. For Pastor Grant Van Leuven of Puritan Reformed Presbyterian Church in San Diego, living out faith is not only about public ministry, but also about daily dependence on God at home, in worship, and in seasons of personal struggle.
In this Living My Faith with James Fenimore feature, Pastor Van Leuven reflects on Scripture, family worship, prayer, and the steady practices that help believers trust God when fear and anxiety feel close at hand.
About Puritan Reformed Presbyterian Church
Puritan Reformed Presbyterian Church describes itself as Puritan in spiritual heritage, Reformed in theology and doctrine, Presbyterian in government and practice, and confessional in profession and witness. This foundation shapes the church’s worship, teaching, and approach to Christian life.
As a pastor, Grant Van Leuven serves within a church tradition that emphasizes the ordinary means of grace, faithful worship, and the importance of biblical truth in the life of the believer.
Living Faith in Daily Life
When asked how he actively lives out his faith at work, home, and in the community, Pastor Van Leuven points to steady, ordinary practices:
- Praying without ceasing
- Personal and family devotions
- Church worship and the ordinary means of grace
- Deliberate fellowship with friends in the faith
These practices may sound simple, but they are deeply meaningful. A faithful Christian life is often built through repeated acts of devotion: praying, reading, worshiping, singing, gathering, and encouraging one another.
Why Ordinary Faithfulness Matters
Many people want spiritual growth to feel dramatic or immediate. Yet Pastor Van Leuven’s reflections point to a different kind of strength: consistency. Faith grows as believers return again and again to God’s Word, prayer, worship, and Christian fellowship.
For anyone seeking to grow spiritually, this is a helpful reminder. You do not need to wait for perfect circumstances to pursue God. You can begin with simple, faithful habits that draw your attention back to Him each day.
Trusting God in Seasons of Fear
One verse that has been especially meaningful to Pastor Van Leuven in this season is Psalm 56:3: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.”
He describes turning to this Scripture often, especially in times of fear. As part of a Psalm-singing church, he has also recently sung Psalms 42 and 71. These Psalms give language to real human struggle while directing fear, sorrow, and uncertainty toward God.
This is one of the gifts of Scripture: it does not require believers to pretend they are never afraid. Instead, it teaches them what to do with fear. Psalm 56:3 is not a denial of anxiety; it is a confession of trust in the middle of it.
A Practical Way to Respond to Anxiety
Pastor Van Leuven’s example offers a practical pattern for believers facing fear:
- Be honest before God about what you are feeling.
- Speak Scripture out loud when fear rises.
- Use Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to redirect your heart.
- Bring your burdens into personal and family worship.
- Lean on fellowship with trusted believers.
Faith does not mean fear disappears instantly. It means fear is brought before the Lord in trust.
A Moment of Encouragement During a Job Search
Pastor Van Leuven also shared a recent experience that significantly shaped and encouraged his faith journey. While searching for new full-time “tent making” employment and struggling with anxiety, he looked through his books for a simple devotional reading to lift his spirits.
A book his younger son had found in a neighborhood Little Library box, Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, caught his attention. He had not continued reading it for some time, but when he opened it, the bookmark was placed at the next chapter: “Out of a Job.”
The timing was deeply encouraging. The reading helped him focus on family during a difficult moment, and he brought it to the table for morning family worship. He shared that the family was greatly encouraged by it.
This story reminds readers that God’s encouragement often comes through humble, unexpected means. A forgotten bookmark, a timely chapter, a family devotion, and a morning gathered around the table can become moments of grace.
Advice for Those Struggling to Live Out Their Faith
For those who are struggling to live out their faith or looking to grow spiritually, Pastor Van Leuven offers a clear and deeply pastoral encouragement: be faithful in and out of season, depend on God more than yourself, and trust that you may one day look back on these moments as some of the best times of growth with God and the ones you love.
This counsel is especially meaningful because it does not minimize hardship. Instead, it invites people to see difficult seasons through the lens of God’s sanctifying work.
Faithfulness in and Out of Season
Spiritual growth is not limited to seasons of clarity, comfort, or confidence. In fact, anxious and uncertain seasons may reveal where we most need to depend on the Lord.
Being faithful in and out of season may include:
- Continuing in prayer when answers are not yet clear
- Opening Scripture when your heart feels weary
- Gathering for worship even when life feels heavy
- Speaking truth to your family with humility and hope
- Allowing trusted believers to encourage and walk with you
For readers seeking practical Christian encouragement, Pastor Van Leuven’s message is both simple and strong: depend on God more than yourself.
What Readers Can Take Away
This Living My Faith with James Fenimore conversation highlights a timeless truth: faith is lived one day at a time. It is lived in prayer, in Scripture, in worship, at the family table, among friends, and through honest dependence on God during fear and uncertainty.
Pastor Grant Van Leuven’s reflections offer encouragement for anyone who feels anxious, spiritually weary, or uncertain about the road ahead. The Christian life is not sustained by self-reliance, but by trust in the God who meets His people through His Word, through prayer, through worship, and through fellowship.
Conclusion: Learning to Trust When We Are Afraid
Psalm 56:3 gives believers words for fearful moments: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.” That kind of trust is not abstract. It is practiced through daily devotion, family worship, church life, and honest prayer.
As Pastor Van Leuven’s story shows, God can use even unexpected moments to remind His people that He is present, faithful, and worthy of trust.
To learn more about Puritan Reformed Presbyterian Church, visit www.puritanchurch.com. To explore more conversations from Living My Faith, visit livingmyfaith.com.
