A Mighty Fortress

As most of you are probably well aware, Greater Vision just re-released their epic Hymns of the Ages project with Chris Allman’s tenor vocals added.  If for some reason you never got this album the first time around, it’s an absolute must-have.  Even if you have the original version, I still think it’s worth the $10 download to get it again.  With soaring orchestral arrangements by the great Lari Goss, it tells the story of humanity from Creation until today, using classic hymns of the faith.  You probably didn’t notice that this project didn’t make my Top 100 countdown a while back.  I’ll go ahead and admit that was a mistake.  It has really grown on me in the last couple of months, and I now consider it one of my very favorites.

The project ends with a trio of songs that tell our story as Christians living in what I believe are the latter days of the church age: “I Know He Heard My Prayer,” “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” and a medley of songs that encourage us in the hope of the Second Coming, “In Times Like These/The Solid Rock/Jesus Is Coming Again”.

Every time I listen to the Hymns of the Ages project, I get chills all throughout that final trio of songs.  But yesterday, circumstances in my life drew special attention to the middle one.  Penned by the Reformation giant Martin Luther, it is a powerful message of God’s unfailing strength in our lives.  The lyrics paint an unpleasant picture of the world around us, but tell of the victory we find in Jesus Christ.  They just don’t write ’em like this anymore.  Here are the lyrics, as sung by Greater Vision:

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;
The Lord of Hosts, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

 

Let these words encourage your heart today.  God is your fortress, and you need not fear what’s going on around you!