We live in chaotic times. From indictments to partisan bickering to international threats, everything that we see is unstable. Where in life can we find anything solid?

In such circumstances, the Psalmist spoke timeless words: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea. The Lord of hosts is with us; God is our fortress.” (Psalm 46:1-2,7)

We find strength and hope as we put our trust in God. No matter what may assail us in life, we have a “fortress”—a sure defense—in the Lord.

That fortress image comes to powerful expression in Martin Luther’s most famous hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” which was based on Psalm 46. The words of that hymn can continue to resonate with us today:

“A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing,
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing . . .
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also,
The body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still;
His Kingdom is forever!”

Sunday’s Scripture Readings:
Psalm 18:2,6,16–19
I Peter 1:24–25

About the Author

Dr. David A. Palmer has been the senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of Kent since 1995. He has a B.A. from Wittenberg University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. A native of Wooster, Ohio, he has served three other churches in east Ohio before coming to Kent. He and his wife, Mavis, have three children.