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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15 July 11
Good morning, dear special people.
Time got away from me yesterday…and I didn’t get my composition together from Psalm 72. But I really wanted to, because it is such a great piece of creative insightful literature. Oh well…maybe I’ll get to it later…but that’s doubtful…since this day is already just about out of control.
I had a unique experience yesterday with a domesticated pigeon turning up here. He was looking for food in the gravel next to the pole barn…and when Max scared him into flight, rather than flying away, he flew into the pole barn. I nearly coaxed him onto my hand…and noticed he had a numbered band on his leg. I checked on line and gleaned some information on what to do. It reported that when this kind of thing happens, these birds are usually tired, hungry, and thirsty. It gave some guidance on what to offer for food…and sure enough, he scarfed it up. He actually gobbled up some popcorn seeds from my hand. He spent a lot of time eating some 10-grain cereal. When I went out to shut up the barn, I didn’t see him anywhere and assumed he flew off on his way. But this morning, I discovered him perched inside the top of the pole barn. Now what? I left a message on a pigeon guy’s phone. We’ll see what comes of this.
May your day be blessed. Love, Dad/Ray
15 July 2011
Psalm 74
Focus: “Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?” Psalm 74:1.
Question: If God is truly all-knowing and benevolent to His people, what is the purpose and function of prayer? Why do we need to tell God what He already knows and ask that He do what He already wants to do?
I won’t claim perfect understanding of the answer to these questions. But I’m quite sure that God does not really NEED us in the same way that we NEED Him. And I draw these additional basic conclusions: (1) Human need accompanied by prayer is an important perspective corrector. Without meeting difficulties and circumstances bigger than ourselves, our human arrogance would likely run off the charts. (2) Prayer is the medium of relationship between man and God—the human side of communication and dialogue. Our world is constantly changing—but two things remain the same—God still speaks to men through His Word, and men still speak to God through prayer. (3) Healthy physical life has been designed to require breathing—inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon-dioxide. Healthy spiritual life has been designed to require breathing too—inhaling God’s Word (inspired, God-breathed) and exhaling prayer and worship.
I begin with these thoughts because Asaph does a lot of telling God what God already knows and seems bent on telling Him what to do. He also raises questions of WHY and WHEN, implying that God is unaware of what is really going on—that some things are getting by Him. At least Asaph never questions God’s ability to intervene. And he’s certainly going to the right place with his anxieties. He properly reaffirms God’s supremacy and Lordship and never questions his own absolute dependence upon Him. “But you, O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth” (v. 12. Also vv. 13-17).
Whatever happens, keep breathing—as long as you have breath.
“God tells us to burden Him with whatever burdens us.”