Center For Church Music, Songs & Hymns

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"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). With a beautiful reminder of that truth, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" gives us hope amidst the struggles of life.  The words, written nearly five hundred years ago, still ring true today: When life storms blow in around us, we can find refuge in the mighty fortress of our God.

In this hymn we also find words of battle. We're reminded of our "ancient foe"--the devil who constantly...

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"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). With a beautiful reminder of that truth, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" gives us hope amidst the struggles of life.  The words, written nearly five hundred years ago, still ring true today: When life storms blow in around us, we can find refuge in the mighty fortress of our God.

In this hymn we also find words of battle. We're reminded of our "ancient foe"--the devil who constantly strives to pull us down. And haven't we all felt the harshness of Satan's attacks? He often strikes at our weakest point, telling us lies and tempting us to give in to despair and sin. He's a formidable enemy.

But he's also a doomed enemy. And in the strains of "A Mighty Fortress," we find hope that Satan won't triumph. We're fighting on the right side. And we will win the battle. But not because of our own strength--as the hymn so elequently says, "our striving would be losing." No, the victory is ours only when we turn to the mighty fortress, to the command of Jesus Christ.

So the next time you're surrounded by stormy weather, when Satan's attacks spark fear, pain, or indecision, remember the words of our hymn. And instead of trying to win the battle with your own feeble efforts, turn instead to the mighty fortress. When you put your struggles in the hands of God, you can be confident that you'll survive the battle.

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The one hymn that most symbolizes the Protestant Reformation is "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." In it, Martin Luther proclaims his confidence in God and rallies all Christians to war against evil. Basing his words on Psalm 46, he victoriously states "We will not fear, for God has willed His truth to triumph through us." Those persecuted and martyred for their convictions during the Reformation sang these words.

Luther understood the power of evil: After he posted his ninety-five th...

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The one hymn that most symbolizes the Protestant Reformation is "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." In it, Martin Luther proclaims his confidence in God and rallies all Christians to war against evil. Basing his words on Psalm 46, he victoriously states "We will not fear, for God has willed His truth to triumph through us." Those persecuted and martyred for their convictions during the Reformation sang these words.

Luther understood the power of evil: After he posted his ninety-five theses on the door of Wittenberg's Castle in 1517, he faced years of trials and persecution, he was excommunicated from the Roman church, and he continually faced threats against his life and his freedom. Other reformers had been persecuted and burned at the stake.

But he also knew "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in danger" (Psalm 46:1) and so he wrote "A Mighty Fortress is our God," proclaiming boldly that "the prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him . . . one little word shall fell him."

Since he wrote it in 1529, Luther's hymn has been translated into nearly every language. There are said to be over eighty English translations alone to this hymn, but the version most used in the United States is the translation by Frederic Henry Hedge in 1852.

The first line of "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" is inscribed on the tomb of Martin Luther at Wittenberg. And its powerful words and tune continue to live. The hymn was sung at the funeral of President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the National Cathedral in Washington DC, March 1969. And it was also included in the National Service of Prayer and Remembrance, held shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks against America.

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