God's presence
Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
They will enter Jerusalem singing,
crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
and they will be filled with joy and gladness. ~ Isaiah 51:11 (NLT)
Our time with the Lord will never be interrupted again. ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (ABP)
KEY IDEA:
The greatest fulfillment in life is when we are living with the Lord forever.
PRAYER:
Lord God, I know that you are forever present -- all places -- all times. I am most often unaware of your presence and what you are already doing in a place or situation. I easily panic thinking that I'm on my own. When that happens please intervene and help me to see what is really going on. I want to live a joy-filled life, aware of your presence. 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)
