A Mighty Fortress is Our God

Where to run when chaos seems to reign

Often called the “Battle Hymn of the Reformation,” Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress” has been translated into almost every known language, and at least eighty different translations have been made into English! This song evolved out of one of the darkest times in church history, yet it arose as a bellow of hope for thousands of Christian protestants as it still does to this very day.

Personally, for Luther this song was the monument of his faith in times of crisis. In 1527, the Reformation was at a fiery advance across Europe. Luther, whose defiance of the church had sparked the Reformation, was in caught in the crossfire of a hellstorm between Catholics and Protestants, princes and peasants, as well as great confusion within the ranks of Protestants whom looked to Luther as the shepherd of their reformation. However, amidst all of the theological, political and ecclesiastical chaos, Luther began to physically lose his health. On April 27th, Luther was preaching to his congregation in Wittenburg when he stopped in the middle of his message and fell ill from a great dizzy spell.

Luther would spend the next few months in agonizing pain as his sickness would drive him close to death. A deep depression fell over Luther over the course of this sickness that crippled Luther mentally and emotionally, to the point that he wrote to his friend Philip Melanchton, “I spent more than a week in death and hell. My entire body was in pain, and I still tremble.” Luther was at the darkest place in his life, both mentally physically and spiritually.

Between threats of execution from the Catholic Church, and physical and mental illness, Luther was greatly oppressed. Yet, it was within the great fires of his life that a hymn was forged from the ever active pen of Martin Luther. Though Luther was greatly broken, he found refuge in Psalm 47 which ignited a spark of great celebration in his heart. A Mighty Fortress is Our God was written by Luther during this time of intense pain and persecution. It was his testimony of great peace that he could find when life seemed darkest. Luther had a deep and raw faith that constantly faced challenges, but it was within the shelter of God’s love that Luther found sanity and peace. In his weakest times, Luther’s testimony could say “A mighty fortress is our God.” This not only became his testimony, but was the testimony of millions of protestants who faced the confusion and persecution that faced those who chose the 5 solas of protestantism over the tyrany of the Catholic church. “A Mighty Fortress” so captured the spirit of the Protestant Reformation that when Protestant emigrants were forced into exile or martyrs went to their death, “A Mighty Fortress” always seemed to be the song they chose to sing.

We often get in the habit of making God very small and in times of chaos it is important to remember the vast expansion of God’s Glory. He is Sovereign over all of His creation. Yet, he is small enough to fit into our very mortal and brief existences. Within our darkest moments, we can be assured that in Christ we can find the solitude from the storms of life that inevitably lies ahead of our journies. May we find him to be our fortress in the times of crisis ahead as we discover his relatable greatness in our walks of life.

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.