A Mighty Fortress

Psalm 18:1-6

18:1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me; [1]
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

I have a number of favorite hymns. Among my very favorite is A Might Fortress is Our God. This powerful hymn was written by Martin Luther, the founder of the protestant movement. The familiar first line of the hymn is “A Might Fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing!”

Luther’s hymn echoes David’s feelings in the 18th Psalm. These six verses from the beginning of this Psalm are a powerful witness of the comfort that comes from knowing God hears our cries and protects us from all sorts of trouble.

We are all aware that we find ourselves in troubling times. The economy and financial markets continue to be weak – war and violence continue to rage. With each day that passes, more people lose their jobs and their homes. Many days, it seems as there is no end in sight.

David and Martin Luther were very familiar with adversity. Both men were incredible leaders who took great risks. In both our Psalter reading and Luther’s hymn we find words of hope. God is a rock. God is a fortress. God protects us from our enemies. God hears our cries. God will never fail us or forsake us.

We tend to think the troubles of our times are the worst of all times. David’s experience is over 3000 years old and Luther’s nearly 400 years old. The one constant throughout all time – the unfailing love of God.

Prayer: Throughout this day, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing and acceptable in thy sight, o, lord my rock and my redeemer. Amen

Charles Z. Gardner