A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing: For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and pow’r are great, and, armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same, And He must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us; The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth; Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.
I love old hymns– I love music in general, but there is something powerful and “grounding” about old hymns and ancient praises that stick with us through thick and thin.
Martin Luther, author of “A Mighty Fortress”
This ancient (nearly 500 years old!) hymn has been attacked often. I saw an article recently that said it should be kicked out of hymnals and never sung. The author’s reasons: It had “old” words and it was gloomy and aggressive in its tone. True, it has words like “abideth”, “grim”, “kindred”, “battle”, and “doom”. (Although the song has been “rewritten”– not only translated into English, but “modernized” to take out the “old-fashioned words”–it’s not like you have to put up with the archaic words you don’t like or understand.) And it isn’t an upbeat anthem about dancing and lifting our hands in celebration. It’s not about daisies and unicorns and good vibes. It was written in a time when worship wasn’t about luxurious auditoriums and customized T-shirts with your church’s logo. Worship wasn’t “cool”–it was deadly serious.
And this hymn doesn’t celebrate the kindness and gentleness of God. It celebrates His Strength and Power; it celebrates Him as a warrior and a conqueror. It also reminds us that we have an Enemy; that we are involved in a pitched battle between Good and Evil– a battle we cannot win in our own power and with our limited resources.
Good hymns are not just there to help us celebrate the good times; they are there to remind us to keep going during the struggles and bad times that are sure to come in life. It doesn’t help that many times this hymn gets shortened. If you only read or sing the first and last verses, it can be confusing. It sounds grim. It assaults the ears and its words pound into our seemingly safe and comfortable worship.
In its entirety, however, the hymn reminds us of a very real spiritual battle being waged for our souls, and the victory that is already ours through Jesus (“that little word!”). Jesus is not just a “crutch” for weak sinners. He is a mighty fortress for battle-scarred and wounded warriors. He is a refuge in the middle of a field of war between good and evil, and the garrison for the army of Goodness. He is the battlefield hospital, providing healing; he is the supply station, offering armor and weapons of war.
The outcome of war is already decided– the victory is sure–but the battles are still raging. Innocent people are dying today in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. History has left us with few illusions about lasting peace in this world. That doesn’t mean that we should not work to pursue peace in our time. But it does mean that our real peace comes from seeking shelter within the “never failing” bulwark that is Christ Jesus, and drawing power from Him to go back out and fight the battle before us.
God is our Fortress and our Deliverer (2 Samuel 22:2). He is an ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1) and His Name is our strong tower (Proverbs 18:10). Today, I will take shelter in the Hope and Promise of God as I pray. I need not fear or be depressed about the evil in this world. God still Reigns!
My given name is Lila June. I was named after my great-grandmother, Lila, and my aunt, Ila June. I have never used a nickname or my middle name, but my Aunt June rarely used her given name of Ila. In fact, she used it so seldom that she forgot it. Not literally forgot that it was her name but forgot that anyone might use it to refer to her. She and her husband lived on a series of Army bases, and when she went to the doctor’s office, they used the name on her official paperwork. A nurse would come out and call for Ila to come back to see the doctor. Startled at first, she looked around the waiting room to see who else could possibly have the same unusual name– only to hear the nurse call for Ila Mellinger! SHE was the Ila being called. But it took her a few moments to respond.
I was reminded of my aunt, and her name, this week. On my Facebook feed, there was a short video by a pastor. In the video he was lamenting that, in his view, the modern Christian church is so focused on practical Christian living– on good deeds and kind words; on outreach programs and building projects– that we have lost sight of WHO GOD IS! We serve the church; we serve the community; we serve our own notion of what makes us “good people,” but we do not serve God, because we don’t really know Him.
He was placing much of the blame for this on other pastors and institutional leaders– saying that they were at fault for not teaching the names of God. I’m not sure I totally agree with him. I think there is some merit in what he said, but ultimately, when I stand before the throne of judgment, I’m not going to be asked whether my pastor taught me the names of God. I will not be asked how much I knew ABOUT God. I won’t even be asked whether or not I know God–I will either hear that my name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life, or it isn’t! My pastors might face judgment for how true they were in teaching the Gospel, but my mission is to know God experientially. It is MY job to learn who God is, and to follow Him— to trust and obey Him.
But I DO agree that modern churches spend less time on this subject than I remember in my church growing up. Not because we spent so much time on the list of individual “names” of God, but we spent more time in worshipping God for WHO HE IS, and not for what he’s done for me, or what I can be doing for Him, saying about Him, or “identifying” as a Christian, a Christ-follower, or a Believer (and all the tiny differences in meaning that those terms might have).
Part of that comes from the habit of studying the Bible as a narrative. We used to study the “patriarchs” of the Old Testament, the “red letter” words of Jesus Christ, and the letters and “acts” of the Apostles. In fact, it is no longer politically correct to even use words like “patriarchs,” and out of fashion to teach the Bible as historical fact. But there is a value in studying this way– not because the characters are mostly men, or even because they are “heroes of the Faith.” It is important to study them precisely because they are so flawed and broken and in need of a Savior– just as we are! And as they encountered God or walked with Jesus, they saw Him– and NAMED Him– for all of His attributes.
In the Old Testament, He is Yahweh, Jehovah, the LORD. He is Almighty. He is the God who sees, the God who hears, the God who saves, the God who provides, the God who saves, the All-sufficient One, the Lord (who) is my Shepherd, the Most High God, the One whose name is a Strong Tower, the Everlasting God and the Lord of Hosts, among others. Jesus, the promised Messiah, also has a host of names, including Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Lion of Judah, Son of God, Son of Man, Emmanuel, Light of the World, the Living Word of God, Savior, Master, Redeemer, Rabboni, the Bread of Life, the Living Water, the Lamb of God, the Risen Lord, the Alpha and Omega, and many more. What a rich picture of God we get from His Names!
I also remember the old hymns and worship songs doing a better job of helping us to see the God of the Bible. I know we have modern worship songs that include God’s many names and attributes, but others seem to concentrate, not on who GOD is, but who I AM because of God–I’m forgiven, I’m a Child of God, etc. I miss the old hymns that remind me that God is a Mighty Fortress, He is my Vision, my Blessed Redeemer, the Rock of Ages, whose grace is Amazing, and whose Love is “greater far than tongue or pen could ever tell!”
I don’t want to “forget” any of the many titles and attributes of my Father, His Son, or the Holy Spirit. When I lose track of them, I am less likely to worship, less likely to obey, and less likely to turn to Him first in every situation. As we close in on Easter this year, I want to spend some time looking at some of His many Names. But for today, I want to take a deep breath, and worship the one who is “worthy, O LORD, to receive Glory and Honor and Power” (Revelation 4:11).
Seventeen years ago today, I was, like many people around the world, glued to a TV watching with horror as the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City were spewing fire, ash, paper, and even bodies before collapsing. I sat in shock as I watched footage of the second plane smashing into the south tower. People running away as rescue vehicles rushed toward the panic. And as the towers fell, the smoke rose, filled with the last breaths of those trapped inside, along with the collective breaths of their families, friends, and the world. A silent gray gasp– a frozen moment of silence in the midst of sirens and screams. Time stopped at least twice that day. Motions and emotions were suspended in those columns of smoke– love and memory, hopes and dreams– all drifted silently away from the open wound that was lower Manhattan.
And then, amazing things started to happen. Stories of heroism and miraculous rescues. The initial estimates of people killed ranged in the tens of thousands–all morning, they climbed higher– by Wednesday, they began to fall as more people were located. Others were rescued from the debris as thousands of workers poured in to help. Caravans and convoys of supplies– food, water, medical supplies, rescue workers and excavators– rolled, sailed, walked, or were ferried in. In the first years, more stories emerged. As horrific and tragic as the events of 9/11 were, they could have been even worse. The initial panic morphed into resolve. People who wouldn’t have spoken to their neighbors now worked side by side in shelters and clean-up efforts. People who shouldn’t have lived through it did, while others who shouldn’t have cared willingly shared their time, their resources, their skills, their homes, and even their lives to help others.
Ironically, the buildings were designed to withstand a hurricane. Today, the east coast of the U.S., including potentially New York City, is preparing for the arrival of a hurricane. The buildings of the World Trade Center were built with the hope that they would be strong enough to survive high winds and floods; able to provide emergency shelter and protection to thousands in the event of a natural disaster. They were leveled by an unnatural force of evil and hatred meant to destroy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
There are no man-made towers that can protect against the force of evil in our world– mighty winds of change, forces of nature, powerful attacks, acts of war, and collapse can occur without warning. There is only one strong tower that can withstand the deadly forces of sin and hate and despair. God stands firm and unshakable, offering to save all who come within His embrace. He may not bring us through without wounds; He may even allow us to go through the valley of the shadow of death. He doesn’t promise perfect weather or days without struggles. He won’t remove us from the storm, but He invites us to take our shelter in Him. He won’t make you take shelter; he won’t make you evacuate your house built on the sand. He may calm the storm or stop the winds and waves. He may ask us to weather them in their full force. We may even lose this mortal life, but He will keep the soul that is stayed on Him. And He won’t leave us to face the storm alone.
Today, I pray for those who are remembering that horrible day in 2001, and those who are facing an uncertain 9/11 today. May each one feel God’s strength, shelter, and comfort in the midst of this life’s storms.
Pursuing Prayer 