Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, special ones.

I need to train my fingers to type the number 15 when doing the date. 14 is still automated.

I’m attaching with this a copy of the reading schedule that we’ve been following. I guess we’ll follow it again. I know we’ve all read it before, but it seems that there is always more nourishment to glean. I’ve already confessed that my forgetter works so well that even ideas that have inspired me in the past can re-inspire me as though they were fresh new ideas.

Nothing turned up in the animal trap last night…nor any images on the camera so we could discern what kind of a critter is killing the chickens. We’ll try again tonight and see what happens. To be sure, I want that guy dead! I hope I can send you a photo to confirm whatever he is.

Blessings on your day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Is it not true that most of us live with a kind of wish that we could establish such a close connection with God or with the supernatural that we would be led and guided without error on a course of perfection—infallible in our choices—happily ever after as a result? That has to be why so many in our culture who are not seekers of God become so preoccupied with fortune telling, palm reading, “spirit guides,” etc. I have to agree in general that it would reduce my struggle in life if God would speak to me audibly or give me spectacular dreams to tell me exactly what to do each day. But obviously He has not chosen to run His business that way. And it occurs to me that if that were the norm, it wouldn’t even require faith—just a robot-like doing what I’m told.

Why do you suppose I have never had a special dream that I’m convinced is authored by God—one of specific divine guidance and/or information? Since I can’t hear your response to that question, I’ll lean to my own understanding. My best answer to that question is that I’ve never really needed one. After all, I am equipped with a Bible, concerning which I accept David’s general description as being an adequate “lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). And Paul is inspired to describe the Word as “God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). I reason that neither the “Magi” nor Joseph had as much of this resource available to them as we do. And since the birthing, nurturing, and protection of the Messiah was such a big deal in God’s scheme of things, He chose to use the medium of special dreams to keep the unfolding Gift on track.

The whole matter of dreams and dreaming is kind of in the “twilight zone” for me. I’ve never had one that wasn’t goofed up in some way when compared with reality. But here in this chapter, special dreams are employed by God four times—once for the Magi, and three for Joseph. And, although they are specific dreams bearing specific instructions, the phenomenon is still mysterious for me. I cannot really comprehend, for example, how “an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt…” (2:19). All I know is that if or when I ever have a God-inspired dream, I’ll know it—I won’t wonder where it came from. I also know that supernatural representatives of both kingdoms seem to have access to all the supernatural psycho-spiritual technology necessary to interrupt the natural functions of the human brain and project special audio-visual images and messages on the big screen monitor of one’s mind. But that only seems to apply when very important things are at stake, and when there is important information to be passed that could not otherwise be known.

Rather than trying to scrutinize my dreams for divine meaning and questing for supernatural guidance I still believe that the safest personal policy for doing life in general and this New Year in particular is with a HEART AFTER GOD. On that basis I believe He has all the resources necessary to adequately direct my paths—without me even knowing it, or knowing how He makes it happen. In that sense, I guess it’s still supernatural. I’m good with that.