Insightful Musings on theScriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good afternoon, dear people.

Sure late in the day now. I wanted to be out running the mill before this. Now I don’t have a lot of light left. I’ve spent a lot of time on sign designs.

One matter disrupting our sleep was Thano’s disruption of sleep—struggling with the misery of a sinus infection that really escalated. Becki finally ran him to the ER at Silverton Hospital about 3:30am this morning. Fun. That probably accounts to my old man nap running over an hour.

Have a good evening.

Love, Dad/Ray.

These beginning lines of Psalm 46 impress me as being profoundly relevant to how we God seekers should approach living our lives today—in the chaotic context of 2016. I can’t imagine a time in all history that was any more volatile and threatening to the well being of multiplied millions of people than what we are facing today. And we who claim to be trusting in the Sovereign Lord of the universe are in error to allow ourselves to get caught up in all the fear, complaining, and debate that consumes so many—robbing them of love, joy, peace, and sleep.

There is much to be drawn from our accompanying reading of Proverbs 15 that we are wise to feed into our think tanks to assist our current day sound mindedness. “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere (in all time), keeping watch on the wicked and the good” (v. 3). “A happy heart (which is a matter of choice—not just circumstance) makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit” (v. 13). “The path of life leads upward (like heaven/eternal life with Him) for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave (or down into the emotional dumps)” (v. 24). “The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility (the recognition of one’s desperate inadequacy for success and survival in life—embracing one’s desperate need for a divine Savior and LORD) comes before honor (as in, ‘well done, good and faithful servant’)” (v. 33).