499th Reformation Day

  On this 499th Reformation Day, the anniversary of Martin Luther's nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, (the action that unintentionally blew the Reformation into a full firestorm) I wanted to share Luther's beautiful, brutally honest prayer of desperation written the night before he was to stand against the authorities and the entire counsel of the church in what would certainly be called treason and could very well cost him his life.

  'Almighty, eternal God! How dreadful is the world! Behold how its mouth opens to swallow me up, and how small is my faith in You!
O the weakness of the flesh and the power of Satan! If I am to depend upon any strength from this world, all is lost. O my God! Help me against all the wisdom of this world. Do this, I beg You.
The work is not mine, but Yours. I have no business here. I have nothing to contend for with these great men of the world! I would gladly pass my days in happiness and peace. But the cause is Yours, my Lord; and it is righteous and everlasting! Stand by me! O faithful and unchangeable God! I lean not upon man. It would be vain!
You have chosen me for this work. I know it! Therefore, O God, accomplish Your own will! Stand by me in the name of Jesus Christ, who will be my shelter and my shield, yes, my mighty fortress, through the might and strengthening of the Holy Spirit.
I am ready, even to lay down my life for this cause, patient as a little lamb. For the cause is holy. It is Your own. Though this world be filled with devils, and though my body, originally the work and creation of Your hands, go to destruction in this cause — yes, though it be shattered into pieces — Your Word and Your Spirit they are good to me still! It concerns only the body. The soul is Yours. It belongs to You and will also remain with You forever. God help me.  Amen.'
                                                                                               (--Martin Luther)

                         

  The next day, when Luther was told again to recant the convictions and teachings he had laid out in his writings, he responded with his famous "Here I stand" speech -- but only after much struggling with fear (as any of us surely would have!) the night before, pouring out his troubled heart to the God he had come to know had accepted him on the merits of Jesus, and not something he could ever earn.

  "Unless I am refuted and convicted by testimonies of the Scriptures or by clear arguments (since I believe neither the Pope nor the Councils alone; it being evident that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am conquered by the Holy Scriptures quoted by me, and my conscience is bound in the word of God: I can not and will not recant any thing, since it is unsafe and dangerous to do any thing against the conscience. Here I stand. I can not do otherwise. God help me. Amen."
                                                                                                 (--Martin Luther)

  (...And if you don't know much about Martin Luther's history, or want to brush up on the details, head over to the radio archives at www.RenewingYourMind.org in the next few weeks and find Dr. R.C. Sproul's messages (I believe there are 4 or 5 of them) on Martin Luther -- you won't regret it! :) )

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