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Psalm 46 In Martin Luther's A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

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In preparing for this sermon, I discovered that some folk refer to this Psalm as Luther’s Psalm, as in Martin Luther. After all, he did write a rather famous, and most popular hymn titled, ‘A Mighty Fortress Is Our God’ in which Psalm 46 served as his inspiration.

What I did not know was the historical context behind this great hymn. While we don’t have time to review all the verses, the message communicated by this hymn is… no matter how dire the circumstances might be in your eyes, God is greater than our circumstances. He will deliver us from our greatest fears, through the blood of Jesus Christ. It is interesting; this year is the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. On October 31st 1517, Luther nailed his ‘95 Theses’ …show more content…

Psalm 46 is a paradigm shift in that thought process. In 2 Chronicles 20:21 King Jehoshaphat embodied that paradigm shift in Psalm 46. Some scholars have even inferred that the King’s actions actually inspired Psalm 46, but we cannot know for certain. King Jehoshaphat put his complete confidence in God as his refuge, and not in worldly strength. If you recall the story,
• Jehoshaphat was facing a great multitude
• Jehoshaphat declared a fast
• God answered – 1 Chronicles 20:17 (you will not need to fight)
• Sing to the Lord and praised him - 1 Chronicles 20:21
• The Lord sets an ambush – 1 Chronicles 20:22
What we believe about God, is vitally important in putting our complete faith & trust in Him as our refuge. A.W. Tozer puts it this way, “What comes to ours minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” If we do not believe God can be and is our refuge, then we are putting our trust in earthly securities, and thus putting limits on God. It may be that our

faith in God is not what it should be. So right out the gate, I have a challenge for all of us, me included… What is your refuge?
1. A Job?
2. A Pension?
3. A future

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