Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
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 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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27 Nov 11
            Good morning, dear ones.
            The day looks decent so far.  Lots to consider.  It’s hard to believe Christmas is only one month away.  Maybe if we started now, we could get a Christmas newsletter done up this year…unlike last year.
            Be blessed.
                        Love, Dad/Ray
 
27 November 2011
Job 37
Focus: “Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders.” Job 37:14.
            I don’t really enjoy taking Elihu apart.  But since I have chosen to take on the Book of Job, I guess I can’t avoid taking on Elihu too. The benefit in doing so is that it offers an opportunity to take myself apart, examine the pieces, and not only observe what makes me tick, but also make some decisions as to what I choose to make me tick.  I would wish to avoid just thoughtlessly ticking along with tickers that tickle!
            Without a doubt, the big bad bummer that makes “Buzzie” babble is PRIDE. However, you can also be sure that if you were able to ask Elihu if he had a pride problem, he would deny it.  He might respond, “I am a very humble man—and very proud of it.”  In the last chapter, his pride reaches a nauseating level when he says to Job, “Be assured that my words are not false; one perfect in knowledge is with you” (Job 36:4).  I then backed off from vomiting when I considered that perhaps he was referring to the ever-present Almighty God Whom he describes as “perfect in knowledge” in the present chapter (37:16).  But when I went back this morning to check 36:4 in other translations, phooey!—my nausea returned.  Listen to that verse in the GOD’S WORD translation: “Certainly, my words are not lies.  The one who knows everything is speaking with you.”  Oh, brother!
            Once I get control of my stomach’s subjective reaction and a measure of objective reasoning is regained, I have to acknowledge that what Elihu says in verse 14 is really very good advice—“Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders.”  He is right to recommend an exercise for contemplating the greatness of God and the marvels of His handiwork.  But he is wrong to insist that Job hasn’t.  Job certainly has and is.  In fact, trying to figure out where he fits in to the greatness of God is at the heart of his struggle.  I’m sure Job agrees with the validity of Elihu’s exclamation that God “does great things beyond our understanding” (v.5), but he still strives to understand as much as he can.  After all, it is this very God that is beyond Job’s understanding that has built into Job the appetite and pursuit of understanding.          
            Allow me to echo Elihu’s advice  and suggest that you turn this into a practical personal plan.  It can serve as a strategy for protecting a sound mind when being surrounded by people and pressures that would vandalize it.  So whenever you face trials, anxieties, and problems that appear so big and overwhelming that you are tempted to despair, STOP!  Take a private time out!  “Consider God’s wonders.”  Shift your focus away from your big problems to a bigger God and His wonderful works.  Look to the sky and behold its marvels—the clouds and their function of shade and reservoir of moisture—the weather, sun, moon, and stars.  A blade of grass, the composition of a dandelion, a cedar tree, a chickadee, and honey bee—don’t just marvel, but MARVEL!—and worship—and strangely those big bad problems have a way of melting like wax.  Perspective has power.
            This practical personal plan for processing perspective had to be the inspiration for George Beverly Shea’s song, THE WONDER OF IT ALL.
 
 
            Amazing. We were able to squeeze a little something good out of arrogant Elihu after all.  And I have a hunch Job did too.
 
“A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.”  -  St. Francis of Assisi