A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Martin Luther on Music — A Mighty Fortress is Our God

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. —Psalm 46:1

Besides being a Reformer, a great theologian and a fiery preacher, Martin Luther was a musician. As a youth he became a proficient flute player, and his volcanic emotions often erupted in song.

When the Protestant Reformation began, Luther helped restore congregational singing in the worship services of the German church. He wrote several hymns. He sometimes “borrowed” popular secular melodies for his hymns, though occasionally a tune brought criticism and he was “compelled to let the devil have it back again” because it was too closely associated with bars and taverns.

In the forward of a book, Martin Luther wrote: “Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. It controls our thoughts, minds, hearts, and spirits… A person who… does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God… does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs.”  (Read that quote again!)

Martin Luther’s most famous hymn is “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,”based on Psalm 46.  It reflects Luther’s awareness of our intense spiritual warfare with Satan. Notice some of the lyrics of this powerful hymn:

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 tho’ 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.

AMEN!  It would be good if more churches would sing this great hymn regularly in their worship services.