How’s your “worry” list? If you are like most leaders…in fact, most people…you keep a pretty good list of things to worry about. Ministry finances, personnel, relationships at work and home, compliance to regulations…the list could go on and on. And it could get personal. Debts, sickness, children and their relationships. A lot to worry about.

It dawned on me that in the Bible there actually is a list of all the things we should worry about. Really. It’s in the New Testament, and it was written by the Apostle Paul. He had a lot that he could worry about. Hated by the Jewish leaders, imprisoned, run out of town, shipwrecked, even snake bitten on the island of Malta. Based on his past, Paul could have had a big worry list for his future.

So…here is Paul’s list, from his letter to the Philippians.

Be anxious for…(and here is Paul’s list)…nothing!

What? “Wait,” you say. “I have some legitimate concerns about things in the future. I have a right to worry.” Do you?

Noted preacher Charles H. Spurgeon said, “Half our fears arise from neglect of the Bible.” Ouch. You mean I could draw a line through many of my concerns, my anxieties, my worries, by paying more attention to God’s Word? In a word, yes. And I think you could eventually learn to not worry at all.

That doesn’t mean you walk around oblivious to issues or potential problems. It means you learn to trust God in all things. I have often said that I am pretty simple in that area. You either trust God…or you don’t. There is no middle ground. And the more we can learn to leave these concerns in God’s hands, the less we worry.

Paul probably expected a bit of a shock when he wrote his “list” of things to worry about, so he quickly followed that pronouncement with a plan. I like the way Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message.

Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Philippians 4:6-7 MSG

Leadership expert Steve Gutzler dealt with worry, like many of us have.

For years, I was plagued by worry and worst-case scenarios. I would “awfulize” (a word I made up). “Catastrophize” (another word I made up). I made a lot of mountains out of molehills.

Gutzler has a list of ways to deal with the stress of worry, and among those items is prayer. It is amazing what happens when we follow Paul’s advice and shape our worries into prayer. King David found the power of prayer and its benefits, too:

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.

He freed me from all my fears.

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;

no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

Psalm 34:4-5 NLT

Did you catch the second part of those verses? Those who pray…who look to God to take care of the things on their heart…will be radiant with joy. What an exchange! From the burden of worry to the brilliance of joy.

So… trust God, read His word, pray, and allow the Lord to take your burden. The old hymn said it well:

Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

God’s best…