Insightful Musings on the New Testament
by
Ray Sparre, NU class of '67

Ray has a wealth of experience as a Husband, Father, Pastor, Missionary, and student of the Word. He believes and practices his faith where the rubber meets the road. You'll find his writings to be practical, insightful, and grounded in a truly Christ-centered world view.

Below are links to a printable daily Bible reading guide which Ray is following, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010.

|  Daily Reading Guide  |  2010 Devotion Archives  |
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16 Dec 10
            Hello, dear ones.
            Daylight is just beginning to give some form to the trees outside.  It’s not that they didn’t have form before I saw their form, this only highlights the benefit of light.  (Do you see how easy it is to impulsively wander down different trails?)
            Speaking of trails, I checked out some different trails last night…amidst beautiful snow-flocked trees…on skiis.  (I was on the skiis—not the trees.)  That’s right…a couple hours of night skiing.  It was a great way to get a good workout.  Wish you could have been there.
            Lots more on the list for the day.  Lord, help us to do what’s right and please you.  Amen.
                        Love, Dad/Ray
 

16 December 2010
Passage: Revelation 8
Focus: “He was given incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints…”  Revelation 8:3.
            Prayer is a mysterious commodity that is deeply embedded in our biblical worldview.  This passage with its description of prayer does not reduce the mystery.  It does, however, reinforce and confirm its importance and effectiveness.
            Is it appropriate to regard prayer as being mysterious?  I think so. Consider the statement of mystery composed by Agur in Proverbs 30:18-19: “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.” I resonate with Agur’s expression.  And I reason this way: If we don’t fully understand everything about the intimate love relationship between a man and a woman, how can we expect to fully understand the intimate love relationship between a man and God?!?!  All that is required to understand is that loving God is extremely important, and prayer is the medium of that relationship.
            The two basic components of prayer are PRAISE and PETITION.  I suppose that “the prayers of all the saints” as symbolically pictured as being burnt upon “the golden altar before the throne” are of the PETITION type.  I’ve never felt inspired to petition God to do thunder, lightning, and earthquakes.  But when the angel symbolically casts the contents of the golden sensor onto the earth, which includes the “prayers of the saints,” that is the symbolic result.  Bottom line: prayers processed in heaven have an effect on earth—whether we understand it all or not.
            The modern world with its ever-expanding technology brings a lot of change. But I quite like the stabilizing truth that says “Two things never change: God still speaks to men through His Word, and men still speak to God through prayer.”  I don’t know about you, but I do love God and sure have a lot to talk to Him about.
 
“True prayer does not begin when we kneel, nor does it cease when we rise.”