Lynna Clark

By Lynna Clark

“For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” -2 Timothy 1:7

I used to live in fear. Even though I knew the Lord, I allowed fear to control me in every aspect of my life. Eventually I went to counseling and a very wise man pointed out this verse. For if fear is not from God, then where was it coming from? Was it of my own making? Or maybe the very pits of hell.

Hebrews 2:15 reveals that when Jesus died for us, He set us free from the fear that has kept us captive all our lives. Finally it dawned on me. Why would I choose to be a slave to fear when Christ has set me free?

Fear is a stalker and can easily rob us of rest. Instead let’s choose faith: the confidence that God truly has our best interest at heart. According to our verse for today, that is also the key to a sound mind. Wouldn’t that be nice!

By Lynna Clark

“The Lord is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him. For He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust.” -Psalm 103:13,14

Sometimes we get the impression that God is a demanding old grouch who expects too much from us. This passage sure does make me happy. He knows how very weak I am. He knows what I’m made of. And it is not rainbows and sunshine. He knows because He made me. I am just dust. So any good thing I accomplish in my life is a joy. For how much expectation would He place on dust?

By Lynna Clark

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” -James1:17

What a thought! ALL the good things, all the blessings, every joy in our life is sent to us by God. And best of all, because of His unchanging character, this will never change. As the old hymn says, “Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Tonight, focus with me on all the good things coming down from our heavenly Father.

Bonus verse:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for them that love Him.” -1 Corinthians 2:9

By Lynna Clark

“‘Lord help!’ they cried in their trouble and He saved them from their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. What a blessing was that stillness as He bought them safely into harbor!”

This little passage is from Psalm 107: 27. It’s about men caught in a storm on the sea. Some of my family went deep sea fishing and got caught in a similar situation. Not knowing they’d spent the day tossing their cookies, I called out as they returned. “Y’all wash up. We’ve got lasagna for supper!” A collective moan went out from the group. A good time was not had by all.

Are you caught in a storm? Are you staggering from the waves that just won’t quit? Currently we are too. But that’s a story for another day. Sometimes all we CAN do is call out “Lord help!” and beg for a little stillness. Soon, child of God. He will bring us safely into harbor.

By Lynna Clark

“Delight thyself also in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.” -Psalm 37:4

When the Lord and His goodness becomes our joy, our mindset changes. Instead of toddlers begging for new toys, we become more interested in what God’s very best entails. Things like strength for the day, the ability to love others in all their messiness; and best of all, the grace to forgive ourselves as we draw near to our God. Bonus verse: James 4:8 invites us to “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

Think on these things as you dwell in His care tonight.

By Lynna Clark

Today is brought to us by the letter C. And also by the Creator of the Universe Who has this to say.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28

What a peaceful thought to dwell on tonight. Jesus actually extends an invitation to us and offers rest from our weariness. It will take a conscious effort on our part to shut down our mental list making. But His offer stands.

Here’s a bonus verse found in Psalm 27: 8. It is also my prayer for you.

“My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”

By Lynna Clark

Do you ever lie awake wishing your brain would just shut down? [See previous post.] Tonight’s “B” passage is from 1 John 3: 1:

“Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the sons of God.”

How far would a loving parent go for their child? How beautiful to think that the Lord of heaven would reach down to draw us unto Himself… so much so that He calls us His own. Consider what that means in the grand scope of things. He doesn’t just love us, He SO loves us, according to John 3:16 and the poster in the endzone. Imagine that love stepping in to face your demons. I don’t think they stand a chance.

Rest in the Father’s love tonight.

By Lynna Clark

Do you ever lie awake wishing your brain would just shut down? A quote from an old movie fits well in this situation. The master teacher admonishes his student who could not complete the task. “Too many minds,” he warns. Currently, we are dealing with a lot of unknowns. David is being treated for stage four cancer, while I deal with a lesser illness. Together we toddle through each day, doing our best just to keep up. By the time our heads hit the pillows at night, you’d think we’d be so worn out that sleep would come easily. But, often there are “too many minds.” I asked God to help me with this and He has. I thought you might could use this too. Everybody’s got something they carry to bed with them… I mean, besides a teddy bear and an extra pillow. So here’s what I do when I just can’t sleep.

I start with A.

For each letter of the alphabet, there is at least one great Bible passage that focuses on God’s promise to care for us. So for the next few days, I’ll share the one I dwell on when sleep won’t come. Write it on a slip of paper and put it by the bed so you’ll have it. Or pull it up on your phone; just try not to get side-tracked with all that other stuff. Think on what it means and pray it back to God. In a few weeks you’ll have a whole list of promises to help you rest.

So here’s A:

“God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we ask or think, according to His riches in Christ Jesus.” -from Ephesians 2:20

Think about it. I am not able… but He is. I have very little strength or wisdom or ability. But He has unlimited resources. Dwell on that amazing truth tonight. Ask Him to do even more than you can imagine.

And I pray you rest well.

By Lynna Clark

Twenty years ago today, my mama passed from this life to the next. Oh how we miss her. At 72, she was the strongest, healthiest person I knew… until she wasn’t. She died of a rare disease which at the time doctors said affected only 3 in one million. Praise God, her suffering was over within two months. I think of her often.

Sometimes I send her little messages through the Lord. I’m not sure how things like that work. I don’t think she can hear me, but according to our faith, she IS with the Savior. So I ask Him to relay to her things of home and how good the great. grandbabies are doing. Stuff like that. She probably smiles that beautiful smile and hopes I know that her new home is just as wonderful as we thought it would be. She and my mom-in-law Nina are probably yukin’ it up so much that Jesus can’t get a word in edgewise. After she passed, I remembered a verse she sent me in a letter while I was away in college. To me it was perfect. She had been so worried about my finances when I left home. But this verse she copied from Scripture had obviously comforted her.

“In the multitude of my thoughts, Thy comforts delight my soul.” -Psalm 94:19

I love it. Even now, twenty years later, in the middle of all my thoughts, He comforts me. Mama is truly doing just fine. And though I miss her, so am I.

By Lynna Clark

I started physical therapy at home this week. My trainer comes online and tells me what to do. I say “trainer” like I’m Rocky Balboa. Oh! Or Livvy Dunne, the beautiful gymnast. It might take a few more sessions but… Truth is, ‘trainer’ just sounds better than “professional dude in a lab coat.” A girl’s gotta protect her image. But really, there’s no need. The fact that I am NOT a physically fit person is an understatement. [See previous article “The Cure.] But I like this guy. His name is Chuck and he’s old enough to know stuff. Plus, and this is a big bonus, he makes me laugh. I stood behind a straight back chair as he instructed. “Now put your right foot out to the side.”

I looked into my laptop camera and asked. “Are we doing the Hokey Pokey?” He nodded. “You know, I used to be addicted to the Hokey Pokey.” I gasped at his serious confession. “What did you do?” I asked.

He beamed proudly. “I turned myself around.”

I laughed at his “confession” then added. “I guess you found out that the Hokey Pokey is really NOT what it’s all about.” Like the polite person he is, he chuckled at my sad attempt at humor.

Later as we finished up, he explained that he’d be sending an email with instructions on simple exercises I could do to get my strength back. Because he mentioned he was calling from Morganton, but he and his wife normally live in Asheville, I asked how bad the recent flooding was near his home. He sighed.

“We were without power for nine days. But I hate to even say that out loud as I think of all that my neighbors have been through. So many have lost everything, even the land their homes were built on. Whole towns are just no more.” He mentioned places that David and I have visited before that were swept completely away. “BUT!” He brightened. “You cannot imagine the huge outpouring of kindness from complete strangers. Folks have been so good. It renews my faith in mankind.”

And that dear reader, is truly what it’s all about.

Let’s love the Lord our God with all our heart, and our neighbors as ourselves.