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.
As a pastor preaching about the schemes of the devil in Ephesians 6, the classic hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” deeply encourages me. As a parent raising kids in a world “with devils filled” that “threaten to undo us,” this hymn eases my worried-dad mind. Despite the battlefield through which we are guiding our children, we will not fear. The lies of this world, the temptations of the devil, the attacks upon the gospel, the passions of our flesh, and the chaos of the cosmos will not prevail, “for God has willed his truth to triumph through us.”
God has already fought for us and won for himself eternal victory through Jesus Christ! How blessed are we that God has swept us up into Christ’s victory parade (Eph. 4:8).
In his sinless life, Christ defeated the temptations of sin that have defeated us (Heb. 4:15).
In his substitutionary atonement, Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him (Col. 2:15).
In his resurrection, Christ displayed his triumph over evil, and he justified all who trust in him (Rom. 5:1).
In his ascension to the heavenly right hand of God the Father, Jesus Christ displayed that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to him (Matt. 28:18).
Though Satan will tempt, attack, and lie to us and to our children, Jesus is still greater! Jesus knows the battles our children are facing, and he knows the spiritual powers that are provoking those battles. Just as our God has been a mighty fortress for every other generation of believers, so also will he be a mighty fortress for future generations. “Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth his name, from age to age the same; and he must win the battle.”
Parents, whatever your children are going through right now, keep praying for them. Keep trusting that Christ is greater than anything Satan can throw at them. May God use the battles we face in this life to awaken us to the reality of Satan’s hatred of us, of God’s glorious sovereignty over all things, and of the joy of Christ’s salvation that will swallow every earthly trial in eternal victory.
Check out Dan’s favorite version of “A Mighty Fortress.”
And join us for the Rooted conference in Nashville on Saturday, November 4 at a special 1-day rate for parents!
