Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear people.

Once again, the day is sliding by faster than I can keep up. Part of our cause for distraction is due to our agreement to host a group from Thano’s church coming this evening for a potluck and Bible Study. There’s a lot of cleanup and setup to do.

I did a jog alone around 8:30am. Motivation to keep that up came in the form of a question asked me in a recently-received email message from my primary doctor. She asked, “Are you exercising as much as you used to?” In other words I think she is implying, “The results of your recent blood draw indicates that you’re not exercising enough so as to keep your numbers in normal ranges.” I could toss out all kinds of excuses—but the real answer is NO—we/I have not been as regular with that as in months past.

While here in the studio, I have to listen to the little squeaks and sounds of newborn kittens. You’ve heard the expression “pig pile”—which I assume is what little fresh-born piglets do when not nursing. When Taffy leaves the box we definitely have a cat pile.

Speaking of nursing, I have to admit to not being a very good at feline anatomy. Monday I stated that a mother cat only has 6 nipples which I figured was about right. But I guess she has 8. Whew! That’s a little better arrangement with 11 babies!

While Taffy is laying there with all her kids, do you think she ever ponders the question of life after death—or what will become of her babies—or the very meaning of life? I don’t think so. But we do. In so doing, what would we do without hope?

Blessings. Love, Dad/Ray.

Two things are for sure:

1. There is a great deal of hopelessness and despair in our world.
2. If we stay close to “the God of hope” we will never be snared and carried away by hopelessness and despair.

The whole scope of biblical HOPE is a wonderful and important one. It is a theme that deserves our attention. But rather than me trying to expound on it, I’m going to bite my lip, hold back commentary, and simply list here several scriptures that contain this theme—and let the scriptures speak for themselves. In so doing, I hope that you will be refueled with hope for moving through this hopeless world.

• Psalm 33:18-22: But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.


• Psalm 42:5-6: Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.


• Psalm 130:5: I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.


• Psalm 146:5-6: Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever.


• Psalm 147:10-11: His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.


• Isaiah 40:30-31: Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.


• Romans 15:4: For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.


• Romans 5:3-5: Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.


• Ephesians 2:12-13: …remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world,. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.


• Colossians 1:27: To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.


• 1 Thessalonians 1:3: We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.


• Hebrews 6:19: We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.


• Hebrews 10:23: Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.


• 1 John 3:2-3: Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known, But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.