Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good evening, special people.

My head is telling the day is about shot. It started out as a beauty, but now the rain is seriously pounding the roof again. While on a run into southeast Portland today, I took a little detour to look up an old friend from a church we attended in Seattle way back in the late 50s. I found his address via internet, but the phone number wasn’t working. So I went to the address which turned out to be a mobile home park, and with a little trial and error I found him. I learned what a great impression I made on him during our times together years ago. He didn’t know me from Adam. I was a total stranger. However, he was forced to accept my memory as somewhat credible since I was able to rehearse lots of names of people he did remember.

Moving right along…I’m going to bed. Good night. Love, Dad/Ray

The first thing that impressed me in this passage was how utterly backslidden the people of Samaria were. Yet surely there was a good deal of Jewish religious tradition still practiced—which is another indication of the weakness of religious form at maintaining healthy spiritual life. When the text states that “all the people, both high and low, gave [Simon the sorcerer] their attention” (8:10), it shows how off course they were in their faith and beliefs. While the community may have abounded with a lot of prayers, there was a shortage of true praying.

The phrase, “Pray to the Lord” appears twice in this passage. First, it is spoken by Peter to Simon. He challenges Simon to pray for himself in repentance for his wrong attitudes and faulty beliefs. That’s good advice. Without a doubt, the personal prayer of a sincere heart seeking God is the most effective kind of prayer. But Simon, shaken by Peter’s rebuff, now uses the same phrase back to Peter and pleads, “Pray to the Lord for me.” Peter, in so many words, says, “Pray for yourself” while Simon says, “Pray for me.” Peter’s instruction is to seek God for your need. Simon is actually seeking man for his need. The first is like advice to go direct to the doctor with your ailment. The second is like an attempt to cover up and hide your ailment with a Band-Aid.

I have met a lot of people in my time who have asked me to pray for them. Many times that request comes from people who are drunk or those feeling the consequences of their sin or foolishness. Often I have asked, “How about you pray for yourself? After all, my prayer for God’s deliverance in your life is generally useless if it is not accompanied by your sincere prayer for yourself.” The point is that neither God nor the prayers of others are going to over-ride the human will. God is not inclined to do for people what He has equipped and instructed them to do for themselves. In this regard, there are some vital concepts contained in the words of Isaiah when he says, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (Isa. 55:6-7).

Nothing can take the place of true prayer addressed to the True God from a true (honest) heart. Don’t allow anything to even come close to taking its place.