A Mighty Fortress...
Do you ever miss the old hymns? I do sometimes. Since we've been covering Martin Luther recently, I thought it would be good to share one of his most well-known hymns. You know the tune, I suspect, but have you ever pondered the words?
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
By Martin Luther, Translation by Frederic Hedge
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 power 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 powers, 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.
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
By Martin Luther, Translation by Frederic Hedge
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 power 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 powers, 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.
posted by Nate at 9:17 PM
2 Comments:
I always found it ironic seeing people at my old church, an American Baptist one, singing these hymns and not really knowing what the composer was writing about. I say this because most of the congregation were very liberal in their thinking and theology. A lot of folks went from Sunday to Sunday putting on their "holy face", never really knowing the goodness of God's love, mercy and grace. If they would just take the time to know what they're singing on Sunday mornings, they probably would.
I suppose God is honored more by the content of our hearts as we worship than the lyrics of the songs we sing to Him. Nonetheless, I do find that songs that remind me of His attributes and acts help to lead my heart where it belongs. We do need to pay attention to what we're singing, both to make sure it's truth and to make sure we're sincere about it.
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