Music Monday: “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” by Martin Luther
Preparing for this week’s “Music Monday” I’ll admit I was at a loss of song choices, and for something biblical to say in response to the song. I had a particular song in mind, but I didn’t feel it was appropriate when looking into its background. Then, talking to my father, he said he had something I could use for music Monday. Those who know me realize I gravitate toward more contemporary songs – I don’t know why I just do. That being said, I was surprised by the relevance of his choice, “A Mighty Fortress is our God.”
Let me explain.
Over the last weeks, I have decided to change things up a little and get more involved in Wisdom Wednesdays; as such, I have tried to comprise short videos on various Psalms that I think my readers might be interested in discussing. If you have been following me on Twitter, you may have seen my poll. Anyway, I have already covered Restoring Joy (Psalm 51) and God Within Her (Psalm 46).
Now you probably see why I am surprised. Not only is the song relating to the topic we talked about last Wednesday, but the same Psalms. If that but isn’t God trying to tell us something, I don’t know what is. . .
For those of you just joining in on the fun, last Wednesday, we discussed that there is no need for animal sacrifices anymore because of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross. But, even more importantly, Jesus came to earth in the form of a helpless baby and explained everything we have. As Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin.”
While most Psalms focus on one aspect of God, Psalm 46 talks about him in defensive (refuge) and offensive (strength) terms. Following my logic here, Jesus can be seen as a loving and compassionate Father, but that does not negate the fact that He is righteous and Just Judge
One cannot have one without the other.
Yes, God is our refuge and protection in times of difficulty, but he is also our strength when asked to stand up for what we believe. In other words, we aren’t supposed to let our faith lie dormant, giving in to our fleshly desires just like everyone else. Instead, people are supposed to look at our lives and go, “there’s something different about her.”
So, today we can be thankful that Martin Luther wrote such a song to encourage those of us in trouble in a spiritual battle. The hymn words remind us that we are in a spiritual battle with the evil one and Jesus provides strength for our daily walk.
Because in the end, we know who has the victory.
To listen to “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” it can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNeP7bGagqg