Departures
The 25th Sunday after Pentecost
I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves. ~ Exodus 20:2a (CEV)
Walking out of the jail, Paul and Silas went straight to Lydia’s house, saw their friends again, encouraged them in the faith, and only then went on their way. ~ Acts 16:40 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
Sometimes the Lord leads his people out of danger.
PRAYER:
Almighty God, sometimes you lead us out of dangerous situations. That should give us confidence in your power and plan when you leave us to struggle in dangerous places. You must have some important reason for allowing us to ride the storms out. I get discouraged when I fail to see your plan while a danger goes on and on. Strengthen my faith so that at some point my faith can encourage the faith of others. 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)
