"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" has been called the "Battle Hymn of the Reformation." The text and tune are both by Martin Luther. I wrote this devotion years ago and believe it bears repeating annually. Someone else said that it bears repeating daily.
Luther's great hymn, "A Mighty Fortress," contains the line at the end of the third verse: "One little word can fell him." Many know this line, but few may know the one little word Luther had in mind. What would you say it is?
In a writing called "Against Hanswurst," Luther explained that the one little word is, "You lie." Luther writes:
"For all such books written against me, even if there were as many as thousands of them written every day and every hour, are very easily refuted with the single word, 'Devil, you lie,' just as that haughty beggar Dr. Luther sings so proudly and boldly in those words of his hymn, 'One little word shall fell him.'"
Now to simplify and make it just one word, we could say, "Liar!" In John 8:44, Jesus says about the devil, "When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." Luther believed that deeply.
We know that Psalm 46 formed the basis for "A Mighty Fortress." But Luther must also have had in mind the story of David and Goliath. In the first place, the devil is our Goliath. In the second place, the one little word (Liar!) is just like the one little stone David used. And in the third place, that one little word "fells" the giant. "One little word can fell him."
Now try it, and use it often. This one really works! Next time that temptation comes, that discouragement, that fear, reach into your bag for one little word.
Liar!
And spread the word!
