It was a dark, windy evening in July 1505. While walking alongside a road near the town of Erfurt, Germany, a 22-year-old university student was joking with his two companions on their way back to their university dormitories from a night of revelry at the local tavern. Without warning, a furious storm caught them by surprise, forcing them to the side of the road for shelter.

As the three companions crouched under a tree for protection, a bolt of lightning struck the tree, knocking one to the ground and temporarily blinding another. In desperation, the one who had been knocked to the ground cried out to his patron saint, “Saint Anne, save me, and I will become a monk!”

Two weeks later, Martin Luther entered an Augustinian Monastery to fulfill the commitment he had made in the storm. God’s calling, revealed in a hasty commitment and a personal conviction, became a lifelong covenant.

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. He became a priest, Augustinian monk, professor of theology, composer and the most influential figure in the Protestant Reformation.  

The turning point in Luther’s spiritual understanding came one night while reflecting on Romans 1:17, “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,  just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (NIV). Alone in his small monastic room, Luther records in his journal, “Here in it (in the gospel), “the just shall live by faith alone!” Luther and his fellow reformers went on to boldly declare the foundational three principles of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fides” meaning Scripture alone, Grace alone and Faith alone! Martin Luther’s growth in grace and insight culminated his famed list of 95 propositions. On October 31, 1517, the popular cleric strode up the church steps in Wittenburg, Germany and nailed his 95 Theses to the church door. Little did Luther know that his 95 propositions would initiate a movement that would alter the course of church history; his pounding of the nails in the Wittenburg church door launched The Protestant Reformation. 

So What?

This month, even in the midst of uncontrollable, dire circumstances, it’s important to remember our calling, stay true to our personal convictions and follow through with our commitments. How can you remain true to the calling that God set before you?