Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, special ones.

Everyone is here in this studio…almost. Thano, Kaden (4—turning 5 on the 23rd), Nicholas (2), Bimbo the dog, and Cora the cat (in her favorite place between my back and the back rest). Fun and frolic freely flows.

But I have work to do. I’d still like to do a jog. Maybe I can put the garbage can out by the road on my way out for a jog with the dog.

I hope you can find fragments of fun, frolic, and fulfillment to freely flow forthwith from your forth-going.

Love. Dad/Ray.

We are given here another piece of insight into the core cause for David’s greatness. Lesser men might have allowed the wonderful “word of the LORD” (7:4) that came through the prophet Nathan to feed their narcissism—“Look at me! I am so wonderful and special so as to become irresistible to God. He loves me more than all others. So, all you inferior ones had better listen to me.” Instead, David, without any divine order to do so, without a preacher directing the altar call, without a choir background, without an organ playing, without any special lighting, without a padded pew or stained glass window, without a crowd of people around him—he simply sought a quiet place to be alone with God. No pretense, no showing off, no rehearsing a memorized prayer, no ceremony—just alone with God—with unction to worship. Nathan, however, walked in about then and clicked on his micro-recorder and captured David’s prayer. How else could it have been so nicely transcribed and made 12 verses long? Just kidding. But exactly how these private experiences are put into writing for public view is another question that will just have to wait to be answered.

I count seven times in this prayer by David that the phrase “O Sovereign LORD” is used to address The Sovereign LORD. There are several other very similar expressions. That concise phrase is overflowing with meaning. It puts things into proper perspective—unless it is just a platitude—just a show of Pharisaical verbosity. If flowing out of an honest HEART AFTER GOD, it excludes pride, arrogance, and superiority—it recognizes that I have nothing that was not given me—it recognizes that no matter how humanly powerful and famous I may become, I am still an underling, very dependent upon the “Sovereign LORD.” Far too many in positions of government power seem to get things all messed up by regarding themselves as the Sovereign Lords over everyone else. Of course, all the thinking underlings know better.

I don’t wish to unduly hassle you, but I think this is an appropriate question for personal evaluation: When is the last time you were “shut in with God, in a secret place—there in the Spirit beholding His face—gaining new power to run in the race?” To what degree have you nurtured a “love to be shut in with God?”