Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise.
She is the mistress and governess of those humble emotions . . .
which control men or more often overwhelm them . . .
Whether you wish to comfort the sad, subdue frivolity,
encourage the despairing, humble the proud,
calm the passionate, or appease those full of hate . . .
What more effective means than music could you find?
–Martin Luther
Many of you know the name Martin Luther, the great monk-become-reformer who took issue with the Catholic hierarchy on a number of doctrinal matters and church practices. He subsequently became the founder of Protestantism in the 1500s.
Luther and like-minded individuals faced persecution, exile, and even martyrdom for their scripture-based beliefs. Their concerns included:
- Requiring indulgences (monetary payments) to the church for the forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- Reserving the reading, interpreting, and teaching of the Bible to only priests (Psalm 1:1-2)
- Not giving precedence to the true treasure of the church: “the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God” (Philippians 3:7-9).
During those dark times of persecution, Martin Luther may well have written his best-known hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” (No one knows exactly when he composed it.)
The lyrics present a bold proclamation of faith, celebrating God’s sovereign power over all earthly and spiritual forces, and the hope we possess because of Christ.
We too face dark times as contemptible powers threaten to undo our brothers and sisters of faith abroad and (on a lesser scale for now) here in the U.S.
Across the centuries, Luther’s hymn offers timely encouragement, comfort, and strength.
One way to augment the impact of such rich and meaningful lyrics is to rewrite them in our own words as a prayer. In the process we can learn the meanings of words (like bulwark and Sabaoth in this hymn), find scriptures that affirm the lyrics, and extrapolate with related thoughts of our own.
Of course, there’s no need to makes rhymes, or fit our meditation to the tune!
What follows is one example of such an exercise:
Verse 1:
I praise You, O God, for being like a mighty fortress.
You are our bulwark—an impenetrable wall of defense—
protecting us against the forces of evil in this world.
Satan and his demons do wield considerable power;
they seek to destroy Your work and Your people.
But You, O God, are our Helper and Sustainer
through all the trouble they cause. [1]
Verse 2:
Without You we’d have no hope of victory.
But hallelujah! You’ve provided the Way for us
to triumph over the challenges that beset us.
That Way is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
the Commander of the heavenly army of angels,
who are obedient to all His commands.
With Him on our side, we can rest secure;
His final victory over evil is guaranteed. [2]
Verse 3:
I praise You, O God, for Your truth that leads to triumph—
the truth of Your Word, with all its promises and principles—
it is our weapon of resistance that makes the devil flee.
One day his power will be broken. He’ll be exposed
for who he is: a cruel deceiver. But even now,
as he strives to poison the hearts of humanity with
self-centeredness, greed, hatred, and more,
we can crush his efforts with one little word: “Liar!” [3]
Verse 4:
Yes, earthly powers oppose You and try to nullify your Word.
But their wicked deeds have always come to naught and always will.
We praise You for bestowing within us Your Spirit and His gifts,
Your presence at our side. We have no need to fear.
Help us hold lightly those things dear to us—even people.
Help us keep an eternal perspective on life.
May we courageously face death—faith-filled and with joy,
because we trust Your unfailing Word. Your kingdom is forever! [4]
* * * * *
In a world full of turmoil and uncertainty, Lord, we look to You—our mighty bastion of strength, help, hope, truth, and empowering presence. AMEN!
[1] Psalm 62:2; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Genesis 3:1-6; 2 Timothy 4:18.
[2] Psalm 3:1-3; Romans 8:31-39; 1 Peter 1:20; Psalm 103:20-21; Revelation 19:11-16
[3] Bryce Young, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-one-little-word-will-fell-satan and 1 John 2:15-17; Isaiah 41:13-14; Deuteronomy 31:8
[4] Psalm 103:19; Matthew 24:35; Ephesians 4:11, 5:18; Matthew 10:37, 10:28; Psalm 145:13
Art credits: Luther portrait, http://www.commons.wikimedia.org. Sunrise image, http://www.canva.com. Soldiers, http://www.picryl.com. Parchment background, http://www.pickist.com.
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This brought to mind the contemporary Christian song, “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” I’m going to suggest to Danny that we should sing this one the next time we’re on the music rotation.
Powerful lyrics, powerful message at a time when our country and our world need to take God’s promises to heart.
Blessings, Nancy, and thanks for your own translation of Luther’s magnificent words here!
I imagine Luther’s lyrics have ministered to millions of people over the five centuries since he composed this hymn. I also suppose every generation in every part of the world has endured its hardships and apprehensions. Praise God we have his eternal kingdom of perfection to look forward to!
Thank you for this. You always put a lot of time and effort into your posts. It is very much appreciated, as you bring encouraging messages to life. ♥️
Thank you, Bridget. I do aspire to write posts that are worth reading! And, as Martin Luther also wrote: “The Christian shoemaker does his duty, not by putting little crosses on the shoes but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.”
This beautiful hymn-which I now appreciate much more-is a lovely earworm in my head. 🙂
This IS a good hymn to have playing in the backs of our minds, Nancy! I’m so glad you found this meditation worthwhile. Praise God!
Nancy, I love the idea of praying as we sing. I’m going to do that next time we’re singing in church. (We still sing “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”)
In my view, even if we just add a silent “AMEN” in our minds as we sing the lines, we can augment the impact of the music on our spirits. How wonderful that your church still sings some of the old hymns! I’m all for new songs, but there’s much value in the eloquent lyrics of such traditional hymns as “A Mighty Fortress.”
I have always loved this hymn. Thank you, Nancy for the meaningful prayer 🙏🏻
You’re welcome, Pam. As always, I praise God for his inspiration!
I love that prayer is so versatile..it can be through quiet conversation, poetry, music…as long as we’re heartfelt that’s what matters. ❤️
Great post.
An insightful point, Alicia!
This hymn has spoken to me over the years because of the strength of its message of the power and sovereignty of God. To rewrite it for my own heart is fabulous. Thanks for this suggestion, my friend.
You’re welcome, Dayle. I’ve certainly developed greater appreciation for such old hymns as “A Mighty Fortress,” by meditating on the lyrics and journaling through them. It’s a pleasurable process as well. No doubt your experience will be the same!
What a great practice. I so enjoyed your personalized version—especially: “Liar!”
May I always sing that verse with your potent paraphrase effervescing through my mind and spirit.
Thank you!
You’ll notice in the footnotes that I have Bryce Young to thank for what that “one little word” might be that Luther referred to. And yes, as we recognize that many temptations (maybe all) come to us in the form of furtive lies from the enemy, we might better be able to stand against them!
I do love the old hymns, but it’s easy to just mouth some of the harder phrases without truly thinking about what they mean and how we would phrase it today. This is such a great reminder to do that. And your choice of A Mighty Fortress is also the perfect choice of a hymn we need to claim today in this dangerous world of such strong spiritual battle. I really appreciate your well-planned and insightful blogs, Nancy.
Thank you, Patty. As always, I have to praise God who guides and inspires! He certainly ministered to me as I composed, these thoughts from “A Mighty Fortress,” and will no doubt provide encouragement as I return to them when concerns mount. God is so good to always provide what we need. He WILL be with us; he CANNOT fail to do what he’s promised (Deuteronomy 31:8)!
What a wonderful idea, Nancy! We re-pray Psalms in our own words, so why not the classic hymns?
Thank you, David. The practice is definitely stretching my mind and ministering to my spirit. Not that I write every day, you understand. It’s more of an occasional thing. I started the practice in November of 2021; that journal now includes twelve hymns.
I love that hymn…never knew the background. Isn’t it amazing how the best pieces can flow out of our souls when it is crushed and in the darkest places? I think it’s in those places where we are ‘forced’ to be bare, naked, vulnerable…exactly where He can feel the ‘heart’ of God.
Amen, RH. “God gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). And since God’s grace includes all the riches of his attributes, what more could we ask for, especially when trouble threatens to overwhelm? Perhaps the sweetest of all is to feel the heart of God more profoundly, as you mentioned!
Indeed…!
Great reflection. Music is such a foundation for our praise and worship and prayer!
Totally agree, Jean. Music has always been an important part of my experience with God. Even as I might strive to honor him with song, he turns around and blesses me–sometimes to the point of joyful tears. No doubt you’ve experienced the same!
I like the Christian shoemaker comment, Nancy! “A Mighty Fortress…” always takes me back to the animated children’s show “Davey and Goliath”, whose closing credits rolled to the hymn. I watched the show “faithfully” every Sunday morning and “A Mighty Fortress…” is branded on my brain as a result. I played the hymn on our sanctuary organ once, as the closing music of a service put on by the youth. The first two lines are so powerful, and all the words that follow underscore the statement over and over and over.
What wonderful memories you have associated with this hymn, Dave. It’s certainly a worthy one to have branded on the brain!
The old hymns are so wonderful! Praying for peace in these times. Music does soothe the soul…it lifts our spirits. We are reminded that God is in control… He created the earth and heaven and all things. We sing our song of praise to honor Him and we trust without ceasing that His ways and His plans are far above our own. (Isaiah 55: 8-9)
Amen, Linda! Thank you for adding that scripture passage from Isaiah 55. Isn’t it wonderfully reassuring to know we have an all-wise, all-powerful God in control? He WILL see us through whatever the future may hold!
What a great idea to rewrite a hymn in our own words, thus delving deeper into the message. Often a hymn is so familiar that we sing it by rote, not really thinking about how we can apply it to our lives and situations. giving it the attention it deserves. This spoke to me in a deep way: “In a world full of turmoil and uncertainty, Lord, we look to You—our mighty bastion of strength, help, hope, truth, and empowering presence. AMEN!” Wonderful and edifying post, Nancy!
Thank you, Cheri. I’m so glad you found the post edifying! That warms MY heart!
Nancy, singing each stanza of this hymn than reading your rewrite was such a blessing. Such an encouraging reminder of God’s power and might over the works of evil and darkness.
I’m so glad the rewrite was a blessing to you, Beth. Praise God!
Blessings Nancy for sharing these stirring verses. Your interpretation of Luther’s hymn are a welcome feast. I have made a note to return to this beloved hymn to craft an appropriate poem.
Praise God you found a feast here, Richard. I’ll look forward to reading you poem based on this hymn!
I’m not sure about an exact time schedule, but I would like to post it before the end of the year.