Vital signs- Monday, October 3rd, 2022

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

(Romans 8:28)

Martin Luther was a man of great faith. But Martin Luther, like some of us, was given to fits of despondency and depression. One day, Martin Luther, despite his great faith, became depressed. He got his eyes on the circumstances and the situation rather than on God. And there in his room, he was brooding. There in his room, he was in a state of melancholy. He was looking at his circumstances and the situation, and he wouldn’t come out. His wife’s name was Katharina. She tried to coax him out of the room, but he wouldn’t move.

So, one day she put on a black dress. She put on a black hat. She put a black veil over her face. She put black gloves on and came into that room. She was dressed for a funeral. He looked at her and asked, “Who has died?” She said, “Martin, haven’t you heard? God is dead.” He said, “That’s blasphemy!” She replied, “Yes. And it’s blasphemy for you to be living like He’s dead.”

In response to this experience, Luther wrote the well-known hymn, “A Mighty Fortress.” Some of the words include, “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.” The hymn goes on to say, “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing; were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing.” That man is Jesus. And we know all things work together for good, and God is the cause of it.

• What kinds of things tempt you to take your focus off Jesus and put them on the world around you?

• How do you typically respond in these situations?

Look up the hymn “A Mighty Fortress” today and listen to it two or three times, seeking to meditate on the truth of God’s good purposes in our lives.