JTTH: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (Part Four)

And though this world, with devils filled,

Should threaten to undo us

We will not fear, for God has willed

His truth to triumph through us

The Prince of Darkness grim

We tremble not for him

His rage we can endure

For lo, his doom is sure

One little word shall fell him

The beginning of this verse is very encouraging.

And though this world, with devils filled,

Should threaten to undo us

We will not fear, for God has willed

His truth to triumph through us

In John 15:18-20, Jesus tells His followers,

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

John 15:18-20

We know that this world will hate us if we follow Christ, because He told us beforehand that it will. And it’s not really us that they hate—it’s Him. That’s why the world so often attempts to press compromise upon believers; because if we show that we don’t stand firmly for what Christ has commanded us to, we reveal that we’re not really that committed to Him.

But for those who are true believers, trouble in this world is not only possible or probable—it’s guaranteed. Trials and persecutions and troubles will come. We’ve been told that they will, so we shouldn’t be surprised when they do, as Peter reminds us in his first epistle.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 

1 Peter 4:12-13

When these “fiery ordeals” and “sufferings” do come (and they will come to every one of us), we should not complain, cry out against God, or question Him. We should simply bear the trials, knowing that He has ordained them and that everything that He has purposed is for His own glory (Romans 8:28; 1 Cor. 10:31). “His truth will triumph through us” as we demonstrate to the world the Fruit of the Spirit and a complete trust in God.

But there is something else that we should keep in mind as we go through our trials, especially persecutions. That is that the evil ruler of this world has already been judged, and that one day we will see our Savior execute that judgement.

The Prince of Darkness grim

We tremble not for him

His rage we can endure

For lo, his doom is sure

One little word shall fell him

Though the devil “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour,” (1 Peter 5:8) we have no reason to fear him. He has no power but what God Himself has allowed him to have for the time being—and one day that time will run out. As Dr. Steven Lawson has said, “The devil is God’s devil.” Satan is merely a creature, in the hands of a sovereign Creator. He is not omnipotent—he was conquered by Christ, and one day Christ will utterly destroy him. At His return, Christ will crush Satan for good (Romans 16:20) and cast him and all his followers into the lake of fire for all eternity. “His doom is sure,” as Martin Luther wrote.

And look at the difference between Satan’s “power” and God’s omnipotence! Satan rebels and fights against God, and yet at the Day of the Lord, he will be totally vanquished before the risen Christ. And it won’t even be a fight. One little word from the mouth of Christ shall fell him!

SDG <><

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Middle Photo by Emiliano Arano on Pexels.com

Bottom Photo by stein egil liland on Pexels.com

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This is the fourteenth installment in the Journey Through the Hymns series. A new installment will be posted each Wednesday until the series’ completion.