Why "Resting in God" Gives You Anxiety

Why "Resting in God" Gives You Anxiety

From Prescription for Purpose by Rx For Purpose

April 15, 2026 · 58 min

About this episode

Dr. Sharla discusses the challenges high-functioning women face when trying to rest in God amidst anxiety and societal expectations.

Take the Next Step: You cannot rest in God if you are actively trying to sustain a life He never asked you to build. Take The Consistency Audit inside the Assessment Center to mathematically identify whether your inability to rest is an anxiety issue, or a severe structural capacity limit. If someone tells you to "just rest in God" one more time, you might scream. As a high-functioning woman, you know you should trust God. But the moment you actually try to step back, lay down, or let go of a situation, your anxiety spikes. You don't feel peace; you feel panic. And because the church has historically framed this as a "faith issue," you just end up carrying the guilt of not being able to relax on top of the exhaustion of running your life. Let’s be clinically and biblically honest: You aren't struggling to rest in God because you are a bad Christian. You are struggling because your nervous system is addicted to your own competence. You have spent your entire life using hyper-planning, over-functioning, and anticipating threats as a way to stay safe. So when God commands you to "be still" in Psalm 46:10, the instruction is actually rāp̠â —meaning to let sink, to let go, and to…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Sharla

Topics covered

  • resting in God
  • anxiety
  • faith
  • Christianity
  • nervous system
  • peace

Keywords

  • resting in God
  • anxiety
  • faith
  • Christianity
  • nervous system
  • peace
  • hyper-planning
  • over-functioning

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Psalm 46:10

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