God's unconventional ways
I love the Lord because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy. ~ Psalm 116:1 (NLT)
But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. ~ Luke 1:13 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord hears, and responds.
PRAYER:
Lord, I'm so grateful that I can count on you to pay attention to my requests. I confess that I have a lot of preconceived ideas about how you should respond. And I sometimes get angry when your response does not match my expectations. Help me to accept your mercy -- in your way. I'm going to be more open to your unconventional ways and timing. Amen.
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
