And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song
(The Lutheran Hymnal #463, stanza 5)
The hymn entitled “For All The Saints” has that phrase describing “The distant triumph song.” The word `distant’ is where I would like to begin today. Doesn’t the victorious message of Christ often seem distant to you during the week? The triumph of our Lord Jesus, the mighty conqueror who ascended above all rule and authority, above all power and dominion, can seem so far away. The triumph of the saints, you and I who have been given the promise of things that “eye hath not seen nor ear heard,” that triumph can seem so distant from our lives.
- It seems so distant when a husband or wife storms out of the house, slamming the door on the way out.
- How distant the triumph of Christ seems when you hear a conversation laced with profanity.
- When a person fancies himself as a good church member, but friends and family regard him (or her) as a busybody and a gossip, how distant the triumph song becomes.
- How distant it is when your body is wracked with physical pain that modern medicine cannot alleviate.
- How distant when your outlook on life is soured by bills that cannot be paid.
The triumph song of Jesus and his saints seem far away when we hear our Savior say: for from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man `unclean.'” (Mark 7:21-22)
Satan wants the triumph song of Christ to become so distant from your daily life that it becomes inaudible. He doesn’t want you to hear it at all. He stands behind all of the battles we find ourselves in. Paul reminds us of this by saying:
“our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:11)
There is more facing you than an occasional problem here and there. Satan is your ultimate enemy. He stands at the head of a powerful, invisible army of evil spirits who are intent upon your eternal destruction. Luther refers to this in his hymn of the Reformation, “A Mighty Fortress”:
Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us.
(The Lutheran Hymnal #262 stanza 3)
The enemy is not just that quarrelsome person you can’t get along with. It is not just improper conduct and conversation. We are not just struggling against our bodily ailments and financial woes. Those are just the front men that Satan uses to pull you away from God. If the triumph song of Christ and the saints seems distant at times, it is because the devil is trying to take them completely from your heart and life. And you know that at times, he is successful–he takes your focus away from Christ.
Followers of Jesus need to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus, the one who has already triumphed over the devil and death and the grave for us. Tomorrow I will start sharing a solution Jesus gives to help us continue hear that distant triumph song.
