One Of Our Greatest Christian Hymns Was Written in A Global Pandemic

       

It’s hard to believe that a year ago at this time I was in the middle of a three-month Sabbatical.  Joyce and I traveled to six different countries and eighteen different states in our memorable odyssey.  I look back now so very grateful that we were able to travel when we did, for none of that would be possible today.  

       

One of the great highlights of the Sabbatical was visiting Wittenberg, Germany, the home of Martin Luther and the Reformation.  We stayed in a 600-year-old inn that overlooked the chapel doors where Martin Luther nailed his revolutionary “95 Theses.” I studied Martin Luther, visited his home and museum, read books on his life, perused historical documents, and joined other sojourning Christians in the Chapel Church for a worship service that included singing his majestic hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”   

       

But somehow, I missed one of the most important events in his life that may not have seemed so important last year, but it really does today.  Martin Luther survived the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history—the Bubonic Plague.  He not only survived, but it inspired one of the greatest hymns in Christian history. 

       

The Plague first hit Europe in the 14^th Century and killed an estimated 60% of the population.  It was highly contagious as it was transmitted through the air and also by fleas.  The Plague killed its victims in a horrific manner, leading to the name “The Black Death.”  Doctors and Priests were often the first ones to die, so most people faced this terrifying ordeal without a doctor to treat them and without a Priest to administer the last rites.

For over 300 years there were outbreaks of the disease, including the summer of 1527 in Wittenberg.  The entire university left town, most professors and their families fleeing the city—but not Martin Luther.  He felt God was calling him to minister to those dying of the Plague.  He was ready to do battle with the Prince of Darkness himself.  

       

Luther knew all too well the deadly power of this cruel enemy.  Two of his brothers died in the Pandemic.  In spite of the fact that his wife, Katie, was pregnant, Luther turned his home into a hospital to care for the sick and dying.  Writing to others about the danger of this mortal ill, Luther said that if you truly love your neighbor, you will self-quarantine to stop the spread of the disease.  

       

The personal strain of living in this world that was “devil filled” threatened to undo Luther.  He was slipping into depression, an ancient foe that Luther battled his entire life.  But he found great strength and solace in the Word of God, especially Psalm 46.  “God is our fortress and our strength, an ever-present help in time of trouble.”

       

Struggling with depression, Luther knew that he in his own strength could not prevail.  He put his hope and trust in the one who is our refuge and strength.  In the midst of a Global Pandemic as he battled his own personal demons, Luther wrote the enduring words that have lifted millions of hearts throughout the centuries.  “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing!”  

       

When you look carefully at the words of this powerful hymn, you can see many references to the devastating pandemic. “Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill:  God’s truth abideth still:  his kingdom is forever.”

       

As we find ourselves struggling with a flood of mortal ills known as COVID-19, let us find courage and resolve in the words of the great Reformer:  “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.”  It is Christ who will win this battle!