John 8:31 – This passage is the inspiration for the hymn, “Lord Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word.” Faith clings to the Lord and His teaching. We are called to be faithful; faithful to the Lord, to His Word, to each other.
The reflection below was written by The Rev. Dr. Mark Birkholz pastor of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, Oak Lawn, Ill.
Luther’s Reformation hymn, “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast
in Your Word” (LSB 655) is one of his best known compositions. When it was published in 1542, it appeared
with the subtitle, “A Children’s Hymn, to be Sung Against the Two Archenemies
of Christ and His Holy Church, the Pope and Turk.” What was going on for Luther
to write such a hymn?
Luther and the Reformers’ theological conflict with
the various popes is well-known. The
political conflict between the Holy Roman Empire, to which the Reformers and
their princes belonged, and the Turkish Ottoman Empire was also a significant
factor during the time of the Reformation.
In Luther’s day the Turks controlled not only much
of the Middle East and North Africa, they also held land in southeastern Europe
(modern day Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and the Balkans). In the early 1500’s there were a series of
battles in Austria and Hungary between the Turks and the Holy Roman
Empire. The siege of Vienna in the
autumn of 1529 led to the decision of Emperor Charles V to call the Diet of
Augsburg to unite the Holy Roman Empire against threat of Turkish invasion.
In 1541 there were two additional battles between
the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Turks, which led Luther to pen this
hymn. The army of the Holy Roman Empire
was defeated at Budapest in August, and the imperial fleet was largely
destroyed near Algiers in October.
Luther felt like he was surrounded by enemies—both
the forces of the pope and the Turk. He
wrote an appeal for the people to pray against the Turks (Vermahnung zum Gebet
wider den Türken, LW 43:213-42), and he wrote “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your
Word” to encourage them in the face of their enemies.
The second line of the hymn originally read,
“Restrain the murderous Pope and Turk” (Und steur des Papst und Türken
Mord). The translation was later revised
to “Curb those who by deceit or sword,” to include all the enemies of the
church.
This hymn is written in a threefold, Trinitarian
format. This first verse is an appeal to
God the Father to preserve us by His Word, rather than by the force of
arms. God never promises us victory in
battle over our enemies. Pearl Harbor
and the 9/11 attacks are reminders that there will be times when our enemies
may triumph over us as a nation. Luther
does not lead his people to pray for the imperial armies or for victory in
battle, but for God to sustain His people by His Word, come what may.[1]
Lord God heavenly Father, since we cannot stand before You relying on anything we have done, help us trust in Your abiding grace and live according to Your Word; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. [2]
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