A Prayer for Help against the Foe

60¹ You have rejected us, O God, and broken our defenses. You have been angry with us; now restore us to your favor. ² You have shaken our land and split it open. Seal the cracks, for the land trembles. ³ You have been very hard on us, making us drink wine that sent us reeling. ⁴ But you have raised a banner for those who fear you- a rallying point in the face of attack. Interlude ⁵ Now rescue your beloved people. Answer and save us by your power.

⁶ God has promised this by his holiness : "I will divide up Shechem with joy. I will measure out the valley of Succoth. ⁷ Gilead is mine, and Manasseh, too. Ephraim, my helmet, will produce my warriors, and Judah, my scepter, will produce my kings. ⁸ But Moab, my washbasin, will become my servant, and I will wipe my feet on Edom and shout in triumph over Philistia." ⁹ Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who will bring me victory over Edom? ¹⁰ Have you rejected us, O God? Will you no longer march with our armies? ¹¹ Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless. ¹² With God's help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes.

Confidence in God's Protection

61¹ O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! ² From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, ³ for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me. ⁴ Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! Interlude

⁵ For you have heard my vows, O God. You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name. ⁶ Add many years to the life of the king! May his years span the generations! ⁷ May he reign under God's protection forever. May your unfailing love and faithfulness watch over him. ⁸ Then I will sing praises to your name forever as I fulfill my vows each day.

God the Only Refuge

62¹ I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. ² He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. ³ So many enemies against one man- all of them trying to kill me. To them I'm just a broken-down wall or a tottering fence. ⁴ They plan to topple me from my high position. They delight in telling lies about me. They praise me to my face but curse me in their hearts. Interlude ⁵ Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. ⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. ⁷ My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

⁸ O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. Interlude ⁹ Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind, and the powerful are not what they appear to be. If you weigh them on the scales, together they are lighter than a breath of air. ¹⁰ Don't make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don't make it the center of your life. ¹¹ God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you; ¹² unfailing love, O Lord, is yours. Surely you repay all people according to what they have done.

Results of Justification

5¹ Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. ² Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. ³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

⁶ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ⁷ Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. ⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. ⁹ And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's condemnation. ¹⁰ For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. ¹¹ So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Adam and Christ

¹² When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. ¹³ Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. ¹⁴ Still, everyone died-from the time of Adam to the time of Moses-even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. ¹⁵ But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. ¹⁶ And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. ¹⁷ For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. ¹⁹ Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. ²⁰ God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. ²¹ So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.