In God's Armor, Track 16. The benediction of the album, a devotional on Ephesians 6:13.
The Scripture
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Ephesians 6:13, KJV)
"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." (Numbers 6:24-26, KJV)
The Heart of It
The album ends where it began, and that is the point. The first song declared the whole armor; this reprise returns to the same anthem after the whole journey - the belt, the breastplate, the sandals, the shield, the helmet, the sword, the watch of prayer, the unseen battle, the promises, the giants fallen, the refuge kept, the victory secured. The words are nearly the same, but the singer is not. The first time we sang it, it was a declaration of intent. Now it is a testimony.
Paul's phrase deserves a lifetime of pondering: having done all, to stand. Not having done all, to conquer new lands. Not having done all, to be carried home early. Having done all - the fighting, the watching, the praying, the enduring - the soldier of Christ is found still standing, armor on, at his post. In the economy of God, standing is the victory. The evil day came, and it did not move you, because you were not standing in your own strength.
And so this closing song does what the priests of Israel did when the worship was ended: it sends the people out under a blessing. The LORD bless thee, and keep thee. The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Notice that everything in that blessing flows one direction - from Him to us. He blesses, He keeps, He shines, He is gracious, He gives peace. The armor was His gift, the battle was His to win, and the benediction is His to speak.
Peace is the last word, and it is the right one. This has been an album about war, and it ends with shalom - not because the war is over, but because the soldier who stands in God's armor can be at peace in the middle of it. The peace of God surrounds the heart; His mercy carries us. We go out from the hour of worship not to escape the battle but to stand in it, blessed and kept.
So let this song be sung the way a church is dismissed: slowly, gratefully, with the light of His face upon you. Go now in His armor, and stand in Him each day.
More Witnesses: Latter-day Scripture
The Restoration scriptures close the loop the same way the album does. The Lord's latter-day charge is almost word for word the anthem we began with: "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). Lift up your hearts and rejoice - the armor is put on with joy, and the standing ends in rejoicing.
And Alma sends his hearers home with a priestly blessing of his own: "And now, may the peace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and lands... according to your faith and good works, from this time forth and forever" (Alma 7:27). From this time forth and forever - the benediction does not expire when the music fades. The peace of God goes with you.
How the Song Carries It
The reprise opens with the spoken charge one final time - take unto you the whole armor of God - but now it is joined to Aaron's blessing, the LORD bless thee and keep thee, so that the call to arms and the gift of peace are spoken in one breath. The single verse looks back over the whole journey: "now having done all, I will stand, the armor on, the battle through."
The chorus returns like an old friend - "In God's Armor I Stand, protected by God's mighty hand" - and then the bridge becomes a benediction sung directly over the listener: "the Lord bless you and keep you, His face shine on your way. Go now in His armor, and stand in Him each day." The final chorus adds the vow the whole album has been teaching us to make - "forever I'll trust Him, forever I'll love Him" - and the music slows into the sending words: "Go in peace. Stand in the Lord. In God's Armor I Stand."
The Lyrics
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
The LORD bless thee, and keep thee; the LORD make his face shine upon thee, and give thee peace.
Now having done all, I will stand,
The armor on, the battle through.
The peace of God surrounds my heart,
His mercy carries me to You.
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 Lord bless you and keep you,
His face shine on your way.
Go now in His armor,
And stand in Him each day.
In God's Armor I Stand,
By faith and by His command.
Forever I'll trust Him,
Forever I'll love Him,
In God's Armor I Stand.
Go in peace.
Stand in the Lord.
In God's Armor I Stand.
A Blessing
You have come to the end of the album, but not to the end of the armor. It goes with you - the truth, the righteousness, the peace, the faith, the salvation, the word, and the prayer that holds it all fast. So receive the old blessing as your own: the LORD bless thee, and keep thee; the LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Having done all, stand. Go in peace, and stand in Him.
Scripture References
- Ephesians 6:13
- Numbers 6:24-26
- Alma 7:27 (Book of Mormon)
- Doctrine and Covenants 27:15