Rise! To Arms! With Prayer Employ You
Rise! to arms! with prayer employ you
The hymn articulates Lutheran understandings of Christian life as active spiritual warfare requiring both divine grace and human response through prayer and vigilance. It balances God's protective power with the believer's responsibility to remain watchful and prayerful against spiritual enemies.
History & Background
Written by German pastor Christian Keymann in 1658, this hymn became part of Lutheran hymnody reflecting post-Reformation theology. The text emphasizes spiritual vigilance through prayer and the Christian's armor against evil, drawing directly from Ephesians 6.
Hymnal Appearances
- Lutheran Service Book — 668
- Lutheran Worship — 303
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 444
Translation
Bulletin Note
Written by Christian Keymann in 1658, this German hymn expresses the Reformed Lutheran conviction that Christian life demands both divine protection and human response—grace and vigilance working together in spiritual warfare.
Preaching Connection
This hymn deepens the Law's demand for spiritual alertness while anchoring believers in the Gospel's assurance that God's grace—not human willpower—sustains us in the struggle against sin and evil.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Law to Gospel: human sinfulness and bondage under Satan → God's mercy in Christ → Christ's substitutionary atonement → faith's response and eschatological hope
Themes
Spiritual warfare Prayer and faith Christian armor Vigilance against sin Trust in God's strength