Insightful Musings on theScriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings dear people.

It is an absolutely gorgeous Spring-like day here. Earlier, Becki and I did our walk/jog on our own place. But I didn’t have this devotional in form for her to approve before she headed off to her Woodburn Bible Study. She has now returned and endorsed the composition—so she’s to blame if you don’t like it.

I need to head out in about 15 or 20 minutes to apply graphics to a couple trucks at a business in Estacada. It’s looking like I won’t be able to get in my old man nap before departing. Hope I hold up. That would be a real bummer to stand back and realize I stuck them on up-side-down.

Have a blessed day—dwelling in “the secret place of the Most High.”

Love, Dad/Ray.

I can only imagine that it was inconceivable that a city could thrive and survive in ancient times without walls—without a barrier of protection between their healthy thriving and the unhealthy entrance of self-centered thieves and conquerors. Such thriving would certainly be short-lived, because the vulnerability of that city would present the hard-to-pass-up opportunity from greedy takers. That is the way things inevitably go, have gone, and will always go within the context of this fallen world where the NATURAL SIN NATURE is the norm among mankind.

The Bible is prolific in establishing the fact that we as individuals are all like vulnerable cities—surrounded by enemies of both human and spiritual origin—enemies that would love to find opportunity to conquer, manipulate, exploit, steal, kill, and destroy what we have—as little or much as that may be. So it should also be inconceivable for us to think we can thrive and survive in this goofed up fallen world without some form of personal protection that’s bigger than ourselves. That’s why I carry a .357. Just kidding. But the Biblical fact is that this spiritual warfare that engulfs us all is waged against “principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12) and poses a far greater threat than anyone trying to steal our stuff or do us personal harm. After all, that’s the perspective Jesus prescribed—“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28-29).

It’s tempting to quote here Psalm 25 in its entirety. I won’t. But in it David once again shows himself to be a wonderful role model at demonstrating the protective self-control and benefits of a HEART AFTER GOD. “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame” (Psalm 25:1-3). David knows he is weak and vulnerable on his own. He recognizes, as does the Apostle Paul, that he is only “strong in the LORD and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10). Therefore, David runs in the absolute best direction when he feels vulnerable and threatened—HE RUNS TO HIS LORD—not just running around in a bunch of other frantic directions. Indeed, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).