God the helper
The Lord says: And in the same way that earlier I relentlessly pulled up and tore down, took apart and demolished, so now I am sticking with them as they start over, building and planting. ~ Jeremiah 31:28 (MSG)
For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
God wants to help -- not hurt us.
PRAYER:
Lord, when I see all the things going wrong it is tempting to believe that you are out to get us. I confess my faulty understanding of you and what how you do things. Help me to release all my fears and to embrace a deeper understanding of salvation. I'm going to see you as a loving helper rather than an angry police officer. 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)
