Trusting God Takes the Pressure Off:
A Reflection of Proverbs 3:5-6
It's exhausting to live every day feeling like everything depends on you.
Every plan. Every decision. Figuring out the right next step. Predicting every possible outcome. All while trying to avoid every possible mistake.
Many of us carry the pressure of believing we have to have all the answers before we can experience peace.
Then we come to Proverbs 3:5–6—a familiar and deeply comforting passage of Scripture.
While many read these verses as an encouragement to trust God (and they certainly are), I believe they also offer us something more: a strategy for peace.
From a therapeutic perspective, these verses invite us to release the pressure of trying to control what only God can know and carry.
Anxiety Craves Certainty
Anxiety is our mind and body's response to real or perceived danger. It's our internal alarm system letting us know that something feels uncertain, unsafe, or beyond our control.
When anxiety shows up, it naturally begins searching for certainty. We often find ourselves trying to quiet the discomfort by doing one or more of the following:
We replay every possible scenario in an attempt to predict the future.
We create plans A through Z in hopes of controlling every possible outcome.
We Google everything related to our situation, hoping that one more article or opinion will finally give us the answer we're looking for.
We think, think, and overthink until we become mentally exhausted, believing that if we just think about it long enough, we'll eventually figure it out.
We anticipate every possible mistake so we can avoid making the wrong decision.
None of these responses are inherently bad. In fact, they're very human. Our minds are trying to protect us.
The challenge is that while anxiety craves certainty, absolute certainty is often something we simply cannot obtain.
The Pressure: Leaning to Our Own Understanding
The pressure we experience isn't just about wanting to solve the problem. It's about believing that solving the problem rests entirely on us.
When we adopt that belief, we also take on the responsibility and expectations that come with it. We become the fixer. The planner. The problem solver. We convince ourselves that if we can just think hard enough, prepare enough, or anticipate enough, we'll be able to prevent pain and control the outcome.
But what happens when we can't?
When our plans fall apart, our understanding falls short, or the outcome isn't what we hoped for, it's easy to begin questioning ourselves. We may think we've failed, that we weren't wise enough, prepared enough, or capable enough.
That's an incredible amount of pressure for anyone to carry.
The truth is, this responsibility was never ours to own.
Trying to carry the weight of knowing everything and controlling every outcome is like trying to fill shoes that were never made for us.
Those shoes belong to God.
Trust: Giving God His Shoes Back
Proverbs 3 tells us to submit our ways to God.
I know—the word submit doesn't always feel good. In fact, it's the opposite of what anxiety wants us to do.
Anxiety tells us to hold tightly to control, protect it, and figure out how to get more of it because it convinces us that control is where safety is found.
But the more tightly we cling to control, the more pressure we place on ourselves to make every decision perfectly, predict every outcome, and solve every problem.
When we assume that responsibility, we're attempting to carry a role we were never created to fill.
God is sovereign; we are dependent on Him.
God is all-knowing; our understanding is limited.
God sees the beginning and the end; we experience life one moment at a time.
Trusting God isn't about giving up responsibility or becoming passive. It's recognizing that life works best when God carries the responsibilities that only He is equipped to carry.
Therapy Helps Us Trust
Here's the reality we don't always like: choosing to trust God doesn't automatically quiet our anxious thoughts or calm our emotions.
Faith doesn't erase our humanity.
We may still feel afraid. We may still wrestle with uncertainty. We may still experience stress, grief, or anxiety.
This is where therapy can be a valuable support as we seek to faithfully trust God.
Therapy equips us with tools to tolerate uncertainty, regulate our emotions and nervous system, challenge anxious thought patterns, release unrealistic responsibilities, and practice surrender when it's needed most.
Therapy doesn't ask us to ignore what's happening around us. Instead, it helps us recognize what we have the power to influence while learning to cope with the things we cannot control.
Sometimes trusting God isn't about feeling less anxious before we move forward.
Sometimes it's about learning the skills to move forward faithfully, even while anxiety is present.
Trust Is Active
Relinquishing control does not mean releasing participation.
Trusting God isn't a passive action. As we allow God to do His part, we also have a part to play.
We continue to pray.
We study and meditate on Scripture.
We seek wise counsel.
We receive and offer encouragement.
We listen for God's direction.
And then—we take the next faithful step.
Trust isn't standing still while we wait for life to happen. It's faithfully moving forward while placing the outcome in God's hands.
We step while we trust, and with every step we can have peace knowing that the One leading us already knows where we're going.
A Wholehearted Reflection
Before you move on with your day, I want to invite you to pause and put into practice what you've read.
Take a deep breath.
Sit quietly with the Lord.
Then ask yourself:
- Where have I been feeling the most pressure?
- What responsibilities have I been holding onto that really belong to God?
- What burden have I been carrying that I need to place at His feet?
- If I truly accepted God's invitation to trust today, what might be different tomorrow?
PAUSE | PRAY | RELEASE
Life will not always make sense
Pease isn't found in knowing everything
Peace is found in following the ONE who does
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Part of the Wholehearted: Faith Through Therapy seriees