Insightful Musings on the Scripturesby
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 has followed, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010 and 2011.
| Sparre Home Page | Daily Reading Guide | 2011 Devotion Archives | 2010 Devotion Archives |
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17 May 11
Good morning, dear people.
The day is already ripping along. I’ve done a jog, lined out some work, ate my breakfast, played with the grandkids that arrived this morning, put the garbage out for collection, and am now finally getting this off. Next I’ll grab a shower and get ready for the wild adventure awaiting in the rest of the day. I’m a little worried—but not scared.
May your adventure be blessed.
Love, Dad/Ray
17 May 2011
Psalm 16
Focus: “Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.” Psalm 16:1.
The thought occurs to me that there is a good deal more praying going on in this world around us than we normally realize. Along this line of thought I will go so far as to affirm that EVERYONE PRAYS. I’m sure that statement would shake up a lot of unbelievers. We’re familiar with the meaningful phrase “non-verbal communication.” And we understand that PRAYER is basically communication with God. Therefore, is it not valid to say that many people are engaged in a form of prayer without knowing it? Without verbalizing and articulating it (non-verbal communication), they are sending a loud and clear message to the all-knowing and all-seeing One that, if verbalized, would go something like this: “God, I’m really not interested in You and I don’t need You. I can handle my confusion on my own. And even though it’s very doubtful I will ever be called to account, I’ll take my chances and face it as it comes. Amen.”
David, on the other hand, is verbalizing what I have come to believe is the best kind of prayer—essential prayer. “Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. I said to the LORD, ‘You are my LORD; apart from you I have no good thing’” (Psalm 16:1-2). I have to conclude that anyone not praying along this line is actually praying along the lines of the guy I’ve cited above.
This approach adds some new support to a quip I’ve used repeatedly over the years—“PRAYER IS NOT SO MUCH SOMETHING YOU DO AS IT IS SOMETHING YOU ARE.” Think about it.
So much of our traditional thinking confines prayer to verbal expressions within a time frame. “Please come to our prayer meeting and we will pray together for one hour…OK, on your mark, get set, go!...OK, time’s up…come back next week and we will pray again.” Please don’t react—I’m not suggesting that we not engage in this kind of prayer, but let’s not confine it there. (Hey—that rhymes.) It’s bigger than that.
The Bible says, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, KJV). But if prayer is limited to time and verbiage, that’s simply not possible. So I’ll spin it this way—GIVE DILIGENCE TO PRAYING RIGHT, BECAUSE PRAYING YOU ARE.
“Practical prayer is harder on the soles of your shoes than on the knees of your trousers.” - Austin O’Malley