A Mighty Fortress

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

September 6, 2022

A Mighty Fortress

God is our refuge and strength,
    always ready to help in times of trouble.

“Be still, and know that I am God!”

Psalm 46:1, 10a

 

“A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;

Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:”

Martin Luther was inspired by Psalm 46 to write “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”, which has become one of the great hymns of the church. Drawing from the images of turmoil and conflict in Psalm 46, Luther affirmed with the psalmist, that “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress” (v. 7 & 11).

I believe the writer of Psalm 46 was inspired by the account of a vast army from Edom marching against King Jehoshaphat, as recorded in Second Chronicles 20. Several passages in that account could well have inspired the psalmist, such as verse 17, “This battle is not for you to fight; take your position, stand still, and see the victory of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow, go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”

In that one passage alone is sufficient inspiration for the psalmist to write,

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,”

“‘Be still, and know that I am God!” and

“The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;

the God of Israel is our fortress.”

Psalm 46: 1, 10a, 11 

My Takeaway: No matter the personal crisis you may be facing, what national or international event is causing you anxiety, I believe those three verses are sufficient to get you singing,

“A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;

Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:”

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.