To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. God the Refuge of His People and Conqueror of the Nations So, read it, meditate on it, sing it all while remembering that “A Mighty Fortress is Our God!” The rest of his life were embroiled “in a sense of heightened spiritual conflict, the presence of a life-or-death battle, the reality of living in danger even to the point of possible martyrdom, and a sense of confidence that springs from the conviction of belonging to God’s cause.” This produced “A certain all-or-nothing vigor energize the poem from start to finish.” This happened when “the gates of paradise were opened” to him and he experienced true soul-salvation. He stood and wrote against the church and Her prostitution of the Gospel after his amazing encounter. He had a desperate time trying to find peace for his soul in the Roman Church-but could not! But he did find the peace that the Gospel brings. How one could flee to the fortress of whom God is for refuge. The hymn has been referred to as to as “the battle hymn of the Reformation.” It demonstrates how Luther battled most of his adult life. This hymn inspires us to find strength in God's love and salvation amid the woes of mortality.” There is no agreement by hymnologists as to when in Luther’s life it was written. ‘“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God’ is one of the best-known hymns by the reformer, Martin Luther. Some scholars even believe most, if not all, the Psalms were set to music and sung liturgically at one time or another. Psalms was the Hebrew (Israelite) song book for worship. This hymn captures the essence of the Old Testament Book of Psalms Chapter 46. The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also The Spirit and the gifts are ours Thro’ Him who with us sideth. That word above all earthly pow’rs - No thanks to them - abideth: His rage we can endure, For lo! his doom is sure, The prince of darkness grim - We tremble not for him We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us. Lord Sabaoth is His name, From age to age the same,Īnd tho’ this world, with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God’s own choosing.ĭost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He His craft and pow’r are great, And, armed with cruel hate,ĭid we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing Our shelter He, amid the flood Of mortal ills prevailing.įor still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe Frederic Henry Hedge’s “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” is far more popular and the one most are familiar with.Ī mighty fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing There have been many translations of the hymn into English. This association is symbolized in the monument to Luther at Wittenberg where the first line of the lyrics were engraved on the base. The hymn became closely associated with Luther himself, as it embodied in its words and melody so much of the character of its author - bold, confident, defiant in the face of opposition. It is woven into the web of the history of Reformation times, and it became the true national hymn of Protestant Germany. It was sung by poor Protestant emigrants on their way into exile, and by martyrs at their death. It was sung in the streets and, so heard, comforted the hearts of Melanchthon, Jonas, and Cruciger, as they entered Weimar, when banished from Wittenberg in 1547. It was sung at Augsburg during the Diet, and in all the churches of Saxony, often against the protest of the priest. After its publication, it gained immense popularity throughout Reformed Europe. “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” however, is far and away the most well known.īased on Psalm 46, the hymn is a celebration of the sovereign power of God over all earthly and spiritual forces, and of the sure hope we have in him because of Christ. Subsequently, he was recognized as the leader of the German Reformation. Luther broke with Rome in 1521, refusing to retract his writings before the Diet of Worms. On October 31, 1517, he posted his famous 95 theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg, inviting debate. A Roman Catholic monk, his study led him to believe that the Church of Rome was corrupt. The story of Luther’s reforming movement is widely known. No hymn is identified with the Protestant Reformation more than Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress.” Luther (1483-1546) left a body of congregational songs that both defined the Lutheran confessional tradition and became truly ecumenical in influence.
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