By Kelly Cilano

For the want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
— Benjamin Franklin

When my grandmother first read me this singsong poem as a child, we didn’t really analyze it. But when I became lazy about picking up my toys or cleaning up my room, she would quote the poem as a gentle rebuke, to remind me not to get stuck even on the littlest point. The poem points out that our decisions, our willingness to act – even our most important vision and purpose can be derailed by the littlest things that may seem inconsequential.

The title of the poem is actually All for the Want of a Nail, but I left that blank so that the reader may think of how it might end personally… what is that little sticking point for you? After careful analysis, I present to you my updated version – no new thoughts, no original improvements, just the verse in a more modern dress: For the want of a lug nut the wheel was lost.
For the want of a wheel the car was lost.
For the want of a car the driver was lost.
For the want of a driver the purpose was lost.
For the want of a purpose the kingdom was lost.
…. And all for the want of a lug nut.

A horseshoe nail or a lug nut is a very small detail in the great scheme of the bigger picture. So, too, are the little discouragements and rationalizations of why we can’t, or why we probably shouldn’t, or why we won’t do something – when in reality, we could, and probably should have. Let’s look at our vision for 2019: “I am Doing a Great Work” from Nehemiah 6:3. This seems daunting in and of itself. Especially if we look at our own puny efforts. How many times do you harbor mental self-doubt? My part is so small… does it even matter? In the light of eternity, on the scale of importance, do we score any weight of significance at all? 

Do you think that all you do, that all your efforts don’t count for much, if anything, when you start to play the all-too-familiar comparing game? Let’s look at what Nehemiah was really doing. Most of the time, he was sweating, painstakingly building a wall stone by stone with one hand while holding a weapon in the other, for all those just in case moments when an attack might occur. Beyond this, he was overseeing, organizing, and motivating the other workers while fighting the demonic doubts and fears that Sanballat and his company kept alive with daily harangues. Sadly, that was only the beginning.

But as their problems grew, so did the prayer lives of Nehemiah and of all who were with him. That was their most potent weapon. Prayer breaks doubts. Prayer breaks depression. Prayer breaks loneliness. But most of all, Prayer brings God, all that He has, all that He is, and all that He can do into the picture. Nehemiah faced incredible stress and problems while building the wall, but God overcame all those obstacles because He has want for nothing and He is our miracle worker. “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). The entire wall around Jerusalem was completed in just 52 days.

The purpose of our want and need is to turn us toward God.  Our wants and our needs gain significance for the purposes of God, even those that seem small and insignificant. When we can’t or don’t want to, or are too discouraged, if we are honest with God and come to Him, we will get what we need to overcome. If we are too lazy, don’t care, are too angry, or just really don’t trust Him, then we have a bad attitude. If that is the case, we first need to repent and admit our sins of bad attitude and ask God to help us overcome our difficulties, because He is always faithful and true.

In 1 John 1:9 it says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” When Nehemiah first surveyed the walls in chapter 2, they were a mess. They were broken down and burned, and in some places there was rubbish piled high in front of the walls in the work area. The job looked overwhelming. Yet, when he brought back his report to the people and made an appeal for them to help him, he presented the broken walls as a reproach to God, the nation, and its people. “Then I said to them, ‘You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach’” (Nehemiah 2:17). He didn’t sugarcoat the problem, but he also did not present it as their problem alone – he included God in his solution. In the following verse, the people respond: “’Let us rise up and build!’ Then they set their hands to this good work.”

When we include God at the beginning, then God can clear the obstacles that keep us from doing His will in the situation we are facing. Too often we become focused on what the problem is and how we can solve it. That was what 10 out of the 12 spies did when they saw the giants in Canaan, and that situation did not end well for them. Joshua and Caleb kept it in perspective: giants are nothing to God.

Keeping in constant communication with God keeps us focused on our purpose and on His delight in showing Himself strong for us as we partner with Him. Then we can answer our demonic doubters in confidence and say of the littlest task: I am doing a great work for God!