Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Hello, special ones.
Things got in the way of my good intentions again that impaired sending this earlier. And now, at this late hour of the afternoon, there’s not much daylight left…and my list doesn’t look any shorter. I guess I’m off to another normal year.
At least Becki and I did a morning walk/jog with the dog—something that often gets bumped. And I was able to direct Thano into a couple hours of sawmill work before he went to his shift at Safeway.
Well—what do you plan to do different this year? Whatever your answer, may the Lord add His blessings.
Love, Dad/Ray.
As a general rule, I don’t put much confidence in dreams. I suppose that’s largely because I have never experienced a dream that I would have to judge without question as being revelatory, instructive, or guiding. And, quite honestly, I’m not all that eager to hear about your dreams—unless you are prepared to also present some compelling evidence or reasoning to warrant my paying attention. That whole realm is full of delicate subjectivity and, as a result, riddled with danger.
Another general rule for Bible believers is to remember that there are just TWO spirit kingdoms out there. That Biblical fact presents more reason for care and caution. Just because one experiences a profound virtual-reality-type dream experience does not mean that it is authored by the kingdom of the dreamer’s choice. I have a good hunch that the God of the Bible has been misrepresented as authoring dreams He didn’t have anything to do with—while the opposing kingdom did—either that or the combination of hot chili and peppermint ice cream from the night before helped to produce a vivid and bizarre dream effect.
Having said all that, I have to acknowledge that Matthew cites five times in these first two chapters of profound divinely-inspired dreams—4 given to Joseph and one to the “Magi” (“wise men,” KJV). And if the relative mystery surrounding who these “Magi” really were, and what inspired their following the phenomenon of a unique traveling star, there may have been more divinely-inspired dreams going on behind the story than are recorded. Whatever the facts may be, I have a general question: What made this little group of astrologer-types to be candidates for this kind of special divine revelation in the first place? May I suggest that, in spite of their pagan cultural garb, each of them were wearing a HEART AFTER GOD—hearts and minds that recognized that the obvious Author of all things was worth seeking. I’m convinced that’s all God needs to commence and orchestrate revelation light—that He makes to function like a guiding star. And without that special quality of heart, all that’s really left is a bunch of groping in the dark.
Here we are on the second day of a brand new year. Not one of us has ever been exactly here before. May your own HEART AFTER GOD serve your sojourn like a guiding star that leads you along “paths of righteousness for his name's sake” (Psalm 23:3)—not just for your sake.