A Powerful Fortress in a Time of Evil!

As we face this great evil, coronavirus, sent from hell itself, we need not be alone. And we needn’t despair.

As Martin Luther, inspired by Psalm 46, reminds us in his finest hymn, God is our fortress.

And God has sent us a Champion, Jesus Christ, Who has defeated sin, death, and the devil through His death and resurrection. Even today, Jesus fights for us and stands with us today, sending His Word and the Holy Spirit to empower us to trust, to believe, in Him in all circumstances, enabled to stand against evil by loving God and loving neighbor.

All who have been saved by God’s reckless love through faith in Jesus know that nothing can separate them from God.

I pray that all my Facebook friends will take heart from knowing that through faith in Jesus Christ, God is your mighty fortress!



Here is the entire psalm which inspired Luther's hymn (it's copied from biblegateway.com and presents the rendering of the psalm in the New International Version).

Psalm 46[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.[b] A song.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields[d] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 46:1 In Hebrew texts 46:1-11 is numbered 46:2-12.
2. Psalm 46:1 Title: Probably a musical term
3. Psalm 46:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 7 and 11.
4. Psalm 46:9 Or chariots

New International Version (NIV)

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