Fear Not, O Little Flock
Fear Not, O Little Flock
Fear not, O little flock, the foe
Who madly seeks your overthrow;
Dread not his rage and pow’r:
What though your courage sometimes faints,
His seeming triumph o’er God’s saints
Lasts but a little hour.
Be of good cheer; your cause belongs
To Him who can avenge your wrongs;
Leave it to Him, our Lord:
Though hidden yet from all our eyes,
He sees the Gideon who shall rise
To save us and His Word.
As true as God’s own Word is true,
Nor earth nor hell with all their crew
Against us shall prevail.
A jest and byword are they grown;
God is with us, we are His own;
Our vict’ry cannot fail.
Amen, Lord Jesus, grant our pray’r;
Great Captain, now Thine arm make bare,
Fight for us once again;
So shall Thy saints and martyrs raise
A mighty chorus to Thy praise,
World without end.
Translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878)
AS MARTIN LUTHER’S great hymn “A Mighty Fortress” (October 31) was the battle cry of the Protestant Reformation, this hymn by Lutheran pastor Johann Altenberg became the battle cry of the Protestant cause during the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648). While the conflict began as a quarrel over the throne of Bohemia, it was primarily a religious battle. The Catholic emperor of the Holy Roman Empire sought to install Catholic leadership in Bohemia but was resisted by the Protestant princes in Germany and Scandinavia. The result was thirty years of suffering for millions of innocent people throughout Europe.
King Gustavus of Sweden, possibly the greatest of the Protestant military leaders, had his army sing this hymn before fighting the Battle of Lützen. The roused army of Gustavus was victorious, but their king died in the battle. Ever since, this hymn has been associated with this pious Swedish king.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? . . . No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Romans 8:35, 37
From the book
