Lynna Clark

By Lynna Clark

Last week we rented the old John Wayne movie The Cowboys. Why you ask? What better way to celebrate 50 years together! In the year of our Lord, 1972 a very quiet guy in my high school took a chance and asked me to the movies. He had no idea that John Wayne was an icon in our home; the picture of all things tough and heroic. I guess the Lord saw to that small detail ahead of time. But even better, the next week he asked me to a Bible study. Not John Wayne… my new friend David. That night my life changed. It was the first time I understood why Jesus went to the cross. Suddenly it made sense. I could never measure up to God’s holiness, so He died in my place. OH! What a difference that single decision made. Because a quiet young man stepped waaayyy out of his comfort zone and asked a feisty girl to a homemade Bible study, at least the next 50 years were changed.
I went home and spoke to my little sisters about Christ. One trusted Him right away; the other understood a few weeks later. Fast forward to the families of us three sisters. We each married men who love the Lord, raised three kids apiece to honor Him; they in turn are raising children to love Him as well. The ones who don’t have children yet are making a difference in the lives around them. Sure we have a few prodigals in the mix, of whom I am chief. The point is not to brag on our great family. Lord knows that’s not the goal. We sure don’t want to invite the scrutiny that would bring. The moral of the story is to say, take a chance. Invite the stranger. Reach out to someone the Lord puts in your path. Who knows what ripple effect you could cause in the next fifty years.
Maybe even for eternity.

By Lynna Clark

Could we fast forward five or so years? Let’s project ourselves into the near future and let’s suppose our country has taken a turn for the worst. Our economy did not recover and our crops have failed due to unusual weather patterns. Food is scarce and we worry about how we will feed our families. The energy crisis has escalated, causing most to be unable to afford fuel. Traveling to work, generating income and even heating our homes are very difficult. The basic necessities of life are no longer readily available.

Would we wish we had prayed for our nation more?

Speaking to a different nation, God observes a terrible time in their economy. They are being destroyed, not by war, but by famine and disease. As their defenses crumble, other nations attack them in their helplessness. In their recent history, God had poured out all manner of blessings on them, only to have them ignore Him and His call to a change of heart.

Therefore He gives this evaluation:

“But you never ask for help from the One who did all this. You never considered the One Who planned this long ago.” –Isaiah 22:11b

“But instead, you dance and play… You say, ‘Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!’”-Isaiah22:13

Are we wise enough to pray before the same is said of us?

This series was written for our church in September 2012, almost 10 years ago. So no need to read into it any current political leanings. Instead, I hope you’ll enjoy using it as a prayer “springboard” for the next thirty days. Each day we’ll have a short out-take from the book of Nehemiah, followed by a specific prayer for our churches. For if our churches are strong, our nation will follow suit. May the Lord be honored as He hears from us.

“Make the LORD of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the One you should fear. He is the One Who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe.” –Isaiah 8:13

By Lynna Clark

Have you ever gotten bad advice? It sounded like a good idea at the time, but somehow things didn’t go as planned.

“We could remodel that old house ourselves and save a lot of money.”

“Put some icy hot on your forehead. Your sinus infection will clear right up.”

“Here, you lead the conga-line. Let me hold the video camera.”

“Let’s get Zumba. We’ll just dance that poundage off.”

Makes you wonder who we hang out with doesn’t it.

Poor ol’ Nehemiah tries to do a good deed in chapter 6, verse10. He goes to visit a shut-in, who apparently had a godly reputation as a prophet. That’s where he got some bad advice. Thankfully Nehemiah recognized it for what it was: another trap. Some really good looking people, can tell us some really smart sounding stuff, and we can fall face first into a vat of “sure wish I’d’ve seen that coming!”

So how can we recognize truth? You are already thinking it. Jesus is Truth. His Word is Truth. Pure, wise, works in all situations, Truth. And it works in regular normal stuff. However, when there are many, many details to hammer out, and many, many decisions to make, the odds of getting it ALL right are much slimmer. And then you have all the good looking, godly sounding people standing around making wise observations. Stuff like, “When God closes a door He opens a window.” I always wonder why, if God slams a door in my face, why would He want me to squeeze my big ol’ hind quarters through a window?” Maybe He does. Maybe He’s teaching me persistence or some other virtue. Or maybe He wants me to put those Zumba lessons to good use. See how tricky this can get?

That’s why today’s prayer is for wisdom for those in the decision making roles. James has a couple great passages on wisdom. Chapter 1 talks about going through trials and letting our endurance grow, so we’ll be ready for anything. Verse 5 tells us if we need wisdom, just ask. I think the Lord loves hearing us own up to the fact that we don’t get it. But we are at least wise enough to admit that. And He doesn’t go for a lot of floundering around either. Ask. Step out of the way. Trust.

A verse that comes to mind is “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him.” Hebrews 11:6. The other passage in James regarding wisdom is chapter 3:13-18. If you get a chance read it. Wisdom there is described as pure, peace loving, gentle, willing to yield to others, full of mercy, etc. What it is NOT, is braggadocios, jealous, selfish, etc. So pray. Wisdom is a precious thing and in short supply in this world. Pray today, that we as a church tap into the only Source of true wisdom. Pray for the Lord’s great guidance in every single move, every tiny step, for His glory! He has promised to give it if we ask!

More: James 1; James 3; Hebrews 11:6

By Lynna Clark

Can you keep a secret? There’s stuff going on at church. Big stuff. Does it scare you to hear that? It does me. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s a lack of trust.

Now for the secret: There’s definitely stuff going on at church. Good stuff; the kind of stuff that God stands up and applauds. The kind of stuff He blesses. Good ideas and plans to reach out to people in a whole new way. Is the leadership perfect? Good gracious no. Do they fail? Often, just like the rest of us people who are made of dust. Does our ministry rise and fall on mere men? Thankfully the answer is NO! Praise God!

So where are we going on day five? Just a reminder that our leaders will have ideas that are not always mainstream. God placed them in leadership to give us a direction and a purpose. Are we to blindly follow and eat poison and drink beer? [Still trying to make a sermon out of the mouse story on day four] The answer is of course a resounding NO. But here’s a lesson from Nehemiah 2. Verses 11-16 tell about Nehemiah’s discretion. Everything will not seem logical to everyone at all times. Discretion is key. So if you hear of a plan in the works, trust the leadership of those God has placed in position. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Pray often for them. And when a new idea is presented, you will have prayed ahead of time, and it will be easier to say, like the folks Nehemiah shared his vision with in 2:17-18, “’Good! Let’s rebuild the wall!’ So they began the good work.”

Wouldn’t you hate to be named with the guys in verse 19, who, when they heard of the plan, “scoffed contemptuously?” Sounds like some business meetings I’ve attended. So today, pray for your leadership, for exciting plans, for stepping out where no one has gone before. The sky really is the limit. God has no need of one more church that sits around holding hands with each other saying, “We’ve never done it that way before.” The world is watching to see if we care.

More Nehemiah 2:9-20
Prayer: Lord please strengthen us today with positive words, and support for our leaders. Help us when we doubt, to look to You, knowing You love Your church way more than we do. Give our leadership great wisdom, and wonderful ideas for reaching a world that has no hope. They need You so badly. Help us to love them enough to risk a little change in order to meet them where they are, for Your glory.

By Lynna Clark

Chapter 3 of Nehemiah starts the building program. Notice in verse one, the spiritual leadership started the construction. None of this standing around in coat and tie, symbolic hardhats perched on lofty heads, with beribboned shovels. These guys threw down! Somebody had some organizational skills to get this many different personalities working together! Scripture lists all kinds of folk who stood shoulder to shoulder in this enormous project. The Lord names family after family, their children, their occupations, their skills. One guy was a perfume maker. [Neh. 3:8] I bet he had some blisters! But it was probably the best pain he ever felt. Chapter 3:12 names a man and his daughters who built a section. We have three grown daughters. They are the Godliest, strongest women I know. Anytime the family has a building project, they are not home making muffins. They are right there, in the mud and the muck working as hard as they can. It’s good to get the family involved in something bigger than self!

Back to Nehemiah chapter 3: Did you notice that God gives details down to the bolts in the gates? He’s like that, this God of ours. He loves details. Someone has wisely observed that the closer you look at things made by man, the more flaws you see. But the closer you examine the things made by God, the more beauty and detail will be discovered. A flower is pretty in a field. But under a microscope, the Designer is obviously brilliant. God is a fan of details like bolts, and whispered prayers, and kind words, and hard work, even if no one else notices. This God of ours warns often of the destruction pride can bring. But He loves servants so much, He washed some pretty nasty feet just to illustrate that no one is too important to get their hands dirty. He notices stuff no one else pays attention to, like the widow’s penny, and the short guy in the tree, and me, and you.

When you greet folks at church…when you sit by a stranger and ask them how they are, and listen…. When you pray for them… When you open your Bible for even a minute, and listen. …When you breathe a prayer over an email about someone hurting…
Details. Little things. Dedicate each day, each moment for His glory. Start today with a prayer that your service, your life, your work, be an offering of praise to Him. Then throughout the day, take advice from Hebrews 13:15 which says, “With Jesus’ help, let us continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by proclaiming the glory of His Name.”

More: Psalm 8

By Lynna Clark

We love riding our motorcycle through the country. Unchartered territory! Exploration at its finest! One day we passed a huge ceramic owl in a birdbath. I wondered if we were supposed to be tricked into thinking it was real. Who would put an owl in a birdbath? Was that to scare off the other birds? Then why have a birdbath in the first place if you don’t want birds? A house down the road had the entire dwarf clan plus a gnome, snow white, and Santa thrown in for good measure. It was redneck utopia.

On another ride we passed a country church with a sign out front that said, “Be a fountain, not a drain.” Was this meant to be spiritual insight? Perhaps a reprimand to an unruly church member… Usually church signs just get on my nerves trying to be all spiritual, but this one cracked me up. So one day when one of my afore-mentioned godly daughters was griping, [notice in this story she only gets a small “g” in godly], I said to her, “Be a fountain, not a drain.” She replied with an Aretha Franklin head wag, “I’ll have you know that drains are necessary too. Without drains all kinds of stuff gets backed up!”
Had to agree.

Some guys in Nehemiah 4 were being drains, and not in a good way. There was mocking and rage involved. Have you ever been the victim of gossip and anger? Hurts doesn’t it. If only people would give you a chance to explain. Have you ever been the one making fun of a work or a plan? Have you ever given your opinion at the expense of a ministry? I am very sorry to say that I have. The results were very displeasing to the Lord. I have been a part of the naysayers in ministries past. But with great conviction I am asking the Lord to strengthen me to never take part in negative speech regarding ministry again. It takes effort. There is always a better way to do things. But why tear a wall down when you can build one up?

Hebrews 10:24 says, “Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.” I like how the King James phrases this verse. “Encourage one another while it is yet today.” Sounds more urgent. It is not an accident that the next verse says, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do…” God knows we need encouragement. And so do all the people around us. Today, “while it is yet today,” encourage someone. Refrain from negative speech. Build someone up. Take notice of something praiseworthy and point it out in front of the person you are building. Do that for your children. Say to a parent so their child can hear, “I saw Jesse being kind to his little sister today. He must be growing stronger in the Lord.” Watch their response. It’s catching.

With all that said, today’s prayer is for positive speech, and intentional building up of those around us. Encourage one another while it is yet today. And watch out for all those owls splashing around in a birdbath near you.

More Proverbs 6:16-19 Proverbs 14:1

By Lynna Clark

I had a gut feeling my time on earth was up. I wasn’t even sick, just scheduled for surgery on the thyroid. But our oldest daughter was given a plane ticket here by some friends at her church so she could be with me. She’s a pastor’s wife in the mid-west, and seldom gets to come. What if God were preparing for the worst? Then I was at the dollar store with my buddy Sue, and kicked over a stack of buckets. It’s one thing to kick THE bucket. What does it mean to kick over a whole stack? On hands and knees, gathering buckets, I knocked over a display of Halloween tombstones. Not a good sign. Everything pointed to impending doom. Better write kind things about my children and spouse in my Bible in case anyone looks in there when I’m gone. When I spoke to my friend about my reservations regarding the upcoming surgery, she commented, “It’s one thing to let those birds fly over your head. Just don’t let them build a nest in your hair.”

Southern wisdom at its finest.

Circumstances cannot be ignored. They are a part of life, just like people. It’s how we react to them that mark our lives. Nehemiah 4 tells of the mockers and scoffers. It is no fun to be laughed at. Verse 4 records the reaction of Nehemiah to those who laughed and scoffed. He prayed. “Hear us, O our God, for we are being mocked…. Do not ignore their guilt….. They have provoked You to anger here in the presence of the builders.” Nehemiah believed, and I do too, that God takes it personally when His loved ones, those who are trying to build a work, are ridiculed.
Verse 6 says “…for they had worked very hard.” If you are working as hard as you know how to honor the Lord, and you hear ridicule, or even just criticism about your work, remember this: that voice is not the voice of Christ.
Verse seven says the opposition planned to “bring about confusion there.” Satan loves to bring about confusion, and he really loves to do that through those close to us. Right after the famous love chapter, 1 Corinthians 14 says in verse 33, “God is not the author of confusion,” or disorder. This verse is tucked away in the instruction about how to handle church members who all want to talk at once. Sounds like God knows us pretty well.
So today, or tomorrow, or some other day, when you hear the ridicule, plan to recognize that voice. It is not the voice of God. His voice says, “Fear not, for I am with you.” His voice reminds us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” His strong voice whispers the words of Nehemiah 4:14, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, Who is great and glorious, and fight for your friends, your families, and your homes!” That is the wonderful prize of church done well; Friends, families, and homes, loving and living for Him.
Today, the prayer is for victory in the battle against discouragement, circumstances, and yes, even for those close to the situation who tear down the walls. Stick your fingers in your ears and sing “Jesus Loves Me” if you must. Just stay strong and pay attention to who you listen too. May His voice be loud and clear! And may you live to tell about it!

More: Exodus 14:13,14; Hebrews 13:5-8

By Lynna Clark

Did I mention that I had surgery? Wanta see my scar? Yesterday marked a week after the main event and I decided to celebrate by going to Lowe’s. Suddenly, after being cooped up a while during beautiful weather, mulch sounded very exciting. Shortly after arriving, I had a near death experience in the restroom. I had to be air lifted back home… or was that a plant cart hauling me back to the truck? I really need a sarcasm font. All I know is that the strength I was so sure of was quickly sapped and replaced with near panic.

Nehemiah 4 continues the story of the workers, their frustration, weariness, fear, and overall lack of strength. There’s a lot to love about Scripture. One thing I love is that it doesn’t gloss over reality. These people had worked until they were too tired to think. Then they got wind that they may be attacked, and not just in a verbally abusive kind of way. They literally had to have tools in one belt and weapons in the other. Can you imagine? We helped our youngest daughter and her husband some as they built their house. I cannot even think of how weary we would’ve been if we not only had this huge project in front of us, but also had to be on the lookout for angry neighbors who might take a shot at us. [Not to mention how bad we all needed baths.]

Verses 21-23 finishes the chapter by saying they “worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset….“ Always on guard; and none of them ever took off their clothes. Don’t you know those were some nasty weary Hebrews?
So on to the prayer for today.

Dear Lord of Heaven, thank You for understanding the reality of where we live. You know we get tired. Strengthen us against weariness. Strengthen us to do Your work. Strengthen us with wisdom to know what is worth putting every effort into, and what is worth giving up, so that we are not spread too thin. Protect our families. Help us never give up these loved ones You have so sweetly blessed us with, in order to meet the expectations of others. Remind us often of what is important to You. Give us clear thinking and strength to honor You. Help us do everything we can, but nothing we shouldn’t. And make our efforts successful!

More: Galatians 6:4-10 Psalm 90:15-17

By Lynna Clark

Chapter 5 of Nehemiah tells the plight of those in debt so heavy that they had to sell their children. Let that thought sink in a little. Can you fathom selling your own children? I can’t imagine ever being so desperate, although I’ve met some children that would make that option attractive.

These poor folks were working as hard as they could, with no end in sight, no hope, no future. We think our economy is bad. I am certainly not making light of where you are. Our family has been through some stuff. All the Larry Burkett and Dave Ramsey courses in the world could not rescue us from financial trials when God is in them. Sometimes we have to come to the end of our own plans in order to recognize that the Lord really does know what is best for our family, including our finances.

The gist of the story in chapter 5 is that the uptown crowd continued to make more than they needed off those who were already poor. Nehemiah appealed to them to do right by their neighbors by reaching out and giving them a hand. Has anyone ever done that for you? It happens to us all the time. God reaches down and takes care of all we need day after day. Many times it is through the generosity of our brothers and sisters in Christ. And you know what it makes us want? We want to give, give, give! Suddenly there is nothing out there more important than what God wants us to invest in. No house, no toy, nothing. What joy! So the prayer for today is that each of us will be wise financially, and that even our finances will be used to the very best for His glory.

Dear God please strengthen us with true Godly wisdom, as in what can we do to honor You with our gifts. Help us to say with King David, when he was looking for a place to build an altar, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord, that which costs me nothing.” -2 Sam. 24:24

Help us take an honest look at all the stuff we have, and see it the exact same way You do. Then we can say with Jesus, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done!”

More: 1 Timothy 6:17-19

By Lynna Clark

Now that our hearts are giving, it’s okay to ask God for a blessing. It’s a beautiful cycle giving, receiving, blessing and being blessed until it’s hard to tell which is which. We bless our community with what we can to meet their needs. They are encouraged and in turn give back to the church. We are enabled by those gifts to reach more and the blessings continue. Wouldn’t you hate to miss all that? Galatians 6:2-10 sums it up by saying, “Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.” [Come on Paul. Don’t hold back. Tell us how you really feel.]

“Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else; for we are each responsible for our own conduct. Those who are taught the Word of God should help their teachers by paying them. Don’t be misled. Remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death.” [Designer shoes are looking pretty worthless right about here.]

“But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters.”

WOW! Did you hear all that? Or did you revert to some sermon you heard years ago that caused you to think the Lord is waiting on you to mess up so He can take your stuff? Look at the part where we reap a “harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.” Sounds bountiful! Sounds like a big ol’ cornucopia [thank the Lord for spell check] spilling out blessings we cannot even begin to ask for! Some basic principles of sowing and reaping are:

1. We always reap the same thing we sow
2. We always reap later than we sow
3. We always reap more than we sow

Easy illustration: You plant corn, you get corn. You get it later and you get more than the few kernels you dropped in the dirt. In ministry it works the same. Plant; receive; harvest; increase.

Prayer for today: Let’s ask the Lord of the harvest to bless our sowing and multiply our reaping. We can plant and we can water, but only God gives the increase. Now watch out! Fire up those John Deere and get ready for the bounty. The barns are about to explode!

More: Ephesians 6:6 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

“Remember, O my God, all that I have done for these people, and bless me for it.” –Nehemiah 5:19