And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again and arms are strong
Alleluia! Alleluia!
(The Lutheran Hymnal #463, stanza 5)

One more day of reflecting on “the distant triumph song” mentioned in this stanza of “For All The Saints.” Yesterday I referenced the Armor of God that Paul describes in Ephesians 6. Here is the passage again.

Ephesians 6:10-18  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around you waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Paul admonishes us to put on this armor “so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” After a battle, the one who is still standing is the one who is still alive. That will be those who have put their faith in Jesus. You and I are alive in Christ because of His death and resurrection from the dead. His death paid for your sins, allowing you to escape the punishment you deserved. His victory assures you of eternal life. He emerged from the battle as the one who was still standing, since Satan, sin and death have been defeated. Being alive in Christ, we put on the whole armor of God and attack the enemy with the Word. Being the followers of Christ, we prepare ourselves for the dark times Satan wants to bring to this world. Believers share the pure Gospel of God’s righteousness given to us by Jesus Christ. That is our battle plan. It is how we keep the distant triumph song alive in our hearts, and to make that song ever louder and louder in the day to day lives of men.

In the midst of our daily battles with Satan, you need to hear the lyrics of the triumph song. When the devil slings his arrows, when he would have us forget that Christ has won the victory, when Satan would drown out the song, the armor of God’s strength will renew you for conquest. There will be times that you stumble and fall, you will stray from the path God would have you take. But rather than becoming discouraged, listen again to the triumph song of Christ, who is far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given.

 Can you hear it? John wrote some of the lyrics of the triumph song of the saints who have laid down their arms and sing with the angels: Worthy is the lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! That’s part of the triumph song, proclaiming the victory Jesus won and gives to us. Put on God’s armor. Be strong in the Lord. The song will become clearer and clearer every day. Not only will you hear it, but you will be singing along with it.

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory – the triumph – through our Lord, Jesus Christ.