In God's Armor, Track 1. The anthem of the whole armor of God, a devotional on Ephesians 6:11.
The Scripture
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11, KJV)
"Stand therefore... and having done all, to stand." (Ephesians 6:13-14, KJV)
"For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head." (Isaiah 59:17, KJV)
The Heart of It
This is where the album begins, and where the stand begins. Before we take up any single piece, Paul calls us to put on the whole armor of God. Not part of it. Not only the pieces we prefer. The whole, because the One who gave it knows exactly what the day will require.
"In God's Armor I Stand" is the anthem that names them all, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, and gathers them into a single declaration. Every song that follows on this album takes up one piece in turn. This first song holds them all at once.
Notice what the armor is for. Paul does not say it is given so we can advance and conquer in our own name. He says it is given that we may be able to stand. To stand against the wiles, the schemes, the cunning of an enemy who is real. The Christian life is not the absence of the battle. It is standing firm in the middle of it, covered from head to foot in what God Himself supplies.
And here is the quiet mercy of it: none of this armor is forged by us. The truth is His. The righteousness is His. The peace, the faith, the salvation, and the word are all His, handed to us freely. Our part is not to manufacture the armor. Our part is to put it on, to stand clothed in Another, and to refuse to be moved.
Long before Paul, the prophet Isaiah saw the Lord Himself wearing this armor: righteousness as a breastplate, salvation as a helmet. The armor we are told to put on is the armor God wears. When we stand in it, we are not dressing up as someone we are not. We are being clothed in our Father, and standing in His strength instead of our own.
More Witnesses: Latter-day Scripture
The same call to take up the whole armor runs through the Restoration scriptures. In the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord makes it almost word for word: "Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand" (Doctrine and Covenants 27:15). The armor is His, the day is evil, and the goal, once again, is to stand.
Lehi gives the same charge to his sons in deeply personal words: "Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness" (2 Nephi 1:23). To put on the armor is to awake, to rise from sleep and slumber and stand in the light. It is the first movement of a soul that has decided to follow God.
How the Song Carries It
The anthem opens the way the whole armor begins, with the word of God spoken aloud. A deep, reverent voice reads Paul's charge over an ancient harp: be strong in the Lord, put on the whole armor, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Then the harp rises, the frame drums begin, and the choir lifts the declaration, "In God's Armor I Stand."
The music is built to move from quiet reverence to settled triumph, never frantic and never proud. By the final chorus the angels surround us, the Spirit has found us, and the song slows into its closing confession: the battle is the Lord's, and the victory is His. It is an anthem meant to be sung standing.
The Lyrics
I bind my heart unto the truth,
The Lord has made His promise known.
No storm of darkness shakes my soul,
For God Himself is on the throne.
I wear the breastplate of His grace,
His righteousness my shield and song.
Though shadows gather round my path,
My Father's strength shall make me strong.
In God's Armor I Stand,
Unmoved by the enemy's hand.
The Lord goes before me,
His power is upon me,
In God's Armor I Stand.
My feet are shod with gospel peace,
I walk where He would have me go.
Through valleys deep and mountains high,
His living waters freely flow.
I raise the shield of steadfast faith,
Against the fiery darts of fear.
No weapon formed shall prosper now,
For God Almighty draweth near.
Helmet of salvation,
Guard my mind and heart.
Sword of the Spirit,
Set me now apart.
Strengthen every servant,
Called to do Thy will.
Lead me in Thy purpose,
And I shall follow still.
In God's Armor I Stand,
Protected by God's mighty hand.
His angels surround me,
His Spirit has found me,
In God's Armor I Stand.
The battle is the Lord's.
The victory is His.
In God's Armor I Stand.
A Blessing
Wherever you are reading this, you do not have to face the day unarmed, and you do not have to face it alone. Put on the whole armor of God, the truth and the righteousness and the peace and the faith and the salvation and the word, and having done all, simply stand. The Lord goes before you, His power is upon you, and in His armor you will stand. Go in peace.
Scripture References
- Ephesians 6:10-18
- Isaiah 59:17
- 2 Nephi 1:23 (Book of Mormon)
- Doctrine and Covenants 27:15