Psalms 70; Psalms 71; Romans 8:22-39

1 God, hurry and save me. Lord, come quickly and help me.

2 Let those who are trying to kill me be put to shame. Let them not be honored. Let all those who want to destroy me be turned back in shame.

3 Some people make fun of me. Let them be turned back when their plans fail.

4 But let all those who look to you be joyful and glad because of what you have done. Let those who love you because you save them always say, "May God be honored!"

5 But I am poor and needy. God, come quickly to me. You are the One who helps me and saves me. Lord, please don't wait any longer.

1 Lord, I have gone to you for safety. Let me never be put to shame.

2 You do what is right. Save me and help me. Pay attention to me and save me.

3 Be my rock of safety that I can always go to. Give the command to save me. You are my rock and my fort.

4 My God, save me from the power of sinners. Save me from the hands of those who are mean and evil.

5 You are the King and the Lord. You have always been my hope. I have trusted in you ever since I was young.

6 From the time I was born I have depended on you. You brought me out of my mother's body. I will praise you forever.

7 To many people I am an example of how much you care. You are strong. You are my place of safety.

8 My mouth is filled with praise for you. All day long I will talk about your glory.

9 Don't push me away when I'm old. Don't desert me when my strength is gone.

10 My enemies speak against me. Those who want to kill me get together and make evil plans.

11 They say, "God has deserted him. Go after him and grab him. No one will save him."

12 God, don't stay so far away from me. My God, come quickly and help me.

13 May those who bring charges against me die in shame. May those who want to harm me be covered with shame and dishonor.

14 But I will always have hope. I will praise you more and more.

15 I will say that what you have done is right. All day long I will talk about how you have saved your people. It is more than I can understand.

16 LORD and King, I will come and announce your mighty acts. I will announce that you alone do what is right.

17 God, ever since I was young you have taught me about what you have done. To this very day I tell about your wonderful acts.

18 God, don't leave me even when I'm old and have gray hair. Let me live to tell my children about your power. Let me tell all of them about your mighty acts.

19 God, your saving acts reach to the skies. You have done great things. God, who is like you?

20 You have sent many bitter troubles my way. But you will give me new life. Even if I'm almost in the grave, you will bring me back.

21 You will honor me more and more. You will comfort me once again.

22 My God, I will use the harp to praise you because you are always faithful. Holy One of Israel, I will use the lyre to sing praise to you.

23 My lips will shout with joy when I sing praise to you. You have saved me.

24 All day long my tongue will say that you have done what is right. Those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame. They have not been honored.

22 We know that all that God created has been groaning. It is in pain as if it were giving birth to a child. The created world continues to groan even now.

23 And that's not all. We have the Holy Spirit as the promise of future blessing. But we also groan inside ourselves as we look forward to the time when God will adopt us as full members of his family. Then he will give us everything he has for us. He will raise our bodies and give glory to them.

24 That's the hope we had when we were saved. But hope that can be seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?

25 We hope for what we don't have yet. So we are patient as we wait for it.

26 In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak. We don't know what we should pray for. But the Spirit himself prays for us. He prays with groans too deep for words.

27 God, who looks into our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit. And the Spirit prays for God's people just as God wants him to pray.

28 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. He appointed them to be saved in keeping with his purpose.

29 God planned that those he had chosen would become like his Son. In that way, Christ will be the first and most honored among many brothers.

30 And those God has planned for, he has also appointed to be saved. Those he has appointed, he has made right with himself. To those he has made right with himself, he has given his glory.

31 What should we say then? Since God is on our side, who can be against us?

32 God did not spare his own Son. He gave him up for us all. Then won't he also freely give us everything else?

33 Who can bring any charge against God's chosen ones? God makes us right with himself.

34 Who can sentence us to death? Christ Jesus is at the right hand of God and is also praying for us. He died. More than that, he was raised to life.

35 Who can separate us from Christ's love? Can trouble or hard times or harm or hunger? Can nakedness or danger or war?

36 It is written, "Because of you, we face death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be killed." (Psalm 44:22)

37 No! In all these things we will do even more than win! We owe it all to Christ, who has loved us.

38 I am absolutely sure that not even death or life can separate us from God's love. Not even angels or demons, the present or the future, or any powers can do that.

39 Not even the highest places or the lowest, or anything else in all creation can do that. Nothing at all can ever separate us from God's love because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.