Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word
“Luther wrote this hymn as a sober reminder, even to children, that our Lord Jesus and his church have real enemies, enemies from whom we pray our Heavenly Father would protect us. ”
From 5 Hymns Of Martin Luther Which Every Lutheran Should Know:
This hymn came along later in Luther’s life, in 1543. It was first entitled “a children’s hymn, to be sung against the two arch-enemies of Christ and His holy Church, the Pope, and the Turk.” In our day, English translations have made this hymn more generic as we sing “curb those who by deceit or sword,” when Luther’s original German hymn singled out the threats of the Pope and the Turk. Luther wrote this hymn as a sober reminder, even to children, that our Lord Jesus and his church have real enemies, enemies from whom we pray our Heavenly Father would protect us. It is thought that Luther wrote this hymn as a matter of urgency in the face of the Islamic threat, and we would do well to teach our children this hymn with the same urgency in our day. Some of Luther’s hymns may have more complicated melodies, but because this is a children’s hymn, it is simple and easy. It is also a simple three verses, one verse addressed to each member of the Holy Trinity.
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Lutheran Service Book, Hymn 655
Text: Jonah 2:9
Author: Martin Luther, 1483-1546
Original Language: German
Translator: Catherine Winkworth, 1827-78
Tune: ERHALT UNS, HERR
Arranger: Hans Leo Hassler, 1564-1612
Lyrics
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word;
Curb those who by deceit or sword
Would wrest the kingdom from Your Son
And bring to naught all He has done.
Lord Jesus Christ, Your pow’r make known,
For You are Lord of lords alone;
Defend Your holy Church that we
May sing Your praise eternally.
O Comforter of priceless worth,
Send peace and unity on earth;
Support us in our final strife
And lead us out of death to life.
Text: Public domain