Christian Reflection and Prayer

A reformer's refuge

"A mighty fortress is our God.
A bulwark never failing.
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe—
His craft and pow'r are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not His equal."
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
Martin Luther (1483-1546)


God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of
trouble. So we will not fear, even
if earthquakes come and mountains
crumble into the sea. Let the oceans
roar and foam. Let the mountains
tremble as the waters surge!
Psalm 46:1-3 NLT

The great reformer

"After posting his ninety-five theses
on the door of Wittenberg's Castle
Church in October 1517, Martin Luther
faced many years of trials and persecution.
And during the years of the ensuing
Protestant Reformation, Luther came
to know better than most the gracious
power of God's sheltering hand. He
confidently stepped forward to defend
the truth he found in God's Word, despite
excommunication from the Roman church,
continual threats to his life and freedom,
and times of intense spiritual battle.

In the comforting words of Psalm 46,
Luther found the inspiration for this hymn
that would become the battle cry of the
Protestant Reformation. Many who suffered
for their faith during that time found solid
comfort in Luther's words of faith and praise.
"A might fortress is our God!"

from The One Year® Book of Hymns by
Mark Norton and Robert Brown (Tyndale)
entry for October 31

Poem

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,

Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp-

The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice..

Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?

I would love to hear Your take.

How'd all these sinners get up here?

God must've made a mistake.

And why's everyone so quiet,

So somber - give me a clue.'

'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in
shock..
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'


JUDGE NOT.

'To get something you never had,
you have to do something you
never did.'  When God takes
something from your grasp,
He's not punishing you, but
merely opening your hands
to receive something better. 

Concentrate on this sentence... '

The will of God will never take
you where the Grace of God
will not protect you.'   Something
good will happen to you today;
something that you have been
waiting to hear.