Why Martyn Lloyd-Jones Wasn’t Afraid of Hitler

When Lloyd-Jones tells me he isn’t scared, I listen.

One time during World War II while Lloyd-Jones was praying in front of his congregation, a bomb hit the building across the road, causing plaster and dust to fall from the ceiling of Westminster Chapel onto congregants. Lloyd-Jones paused for a moment. Then he resumed praying.

In a sermon on Romans 1, Lloyd-Jones shared why Hitler didn’t worry him:

Or are you troubled about the state of the church, the dwindling congregations, the plight of the world, the might of the world, the organization of the world, and all these things? Oh, I say, go back to the Old Testament and take hold of the comfort and consolation of the Scriptures. Or are you troubled by something that has happened in the world today? Then put it in the context of the Old Testament. I was never worried for a second about a man like Hitler; it was enough for me to read the thirty-seventh Psalm, and there I read of a man like him spreading himself like a green bay tree, a sort of colossus striding the whole earth. But I read on and learned that a day came when a man wanted to go to see him and to speak with him, and he could not find him. He searched everywhere for him; he could not find any trace of him; he had vanished. Why? God had blown upon him.[1]

How can you come to trust in God like the Doctor?

Seep yourself in the Scriptures.

Lloyd-Jones was a man of the Scriptures. His confidence in God resulted from his deep knowledge of the Scriptures. No doubt the passage he quoted, Psalm 37:35-36, resonated in his soul and life experience, and thus he could quickly apply it to the wicked, ruthless man of his day, Adolf Hitler:

I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.

Hitler enjoyed his reign of terror and violence for a short time, but then “he was no more.” As Lloyd-Jones pointed out in the sermon, the Old Testament is filled with Scriptures showing God’s sovereignty over the rulers of this world.

Go deeper in the Scriptures on God’s rule and righteous judgment over the wicked by meditating on Psalm 37, Psalm 73, Daniel, Habakkuk, and 1 Peter.

Pray for a God-centered view of human history.

If you struggle with fear and anxiety over current events or politics (a major idol in our day), make Psalm 2 your prayer.  The King of kings and Lord of lords does not wring His hands when the nations rage and rebel against Him, He laughs. The Lord Jesus will bring righteousness and judgment to the earth, and we can take refuge in Him and receive blessing that no evil leader or superpower can take away.

All of history is moving toward the revelation of God’s perfect Kingdom and the marriage of Christ and His bride. Any rouge leader or anti-god politician will be a mere footnote (if that!) in the Christ-exalting history of our world. Do your prayers reflect this?

Worship God for His sovereign wisdom

God is accomplishing His purposes on earth no matter what chaos happens today. The Hitlers, Xi Jipings, Stalins, and Osama Bin Ladens of this world will come and go, sowing destruction and reaping what they sow. Thankfully for the child of God, the worst they can ever do is kill us. Even death cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38–39), for we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us and who controls all things (Romans 8:37). For every look at the news or politics, take ten looks to the Ruler of the nations and lover of our souls.

After Lloyd-Jones shared why Hitler didn’t scare him, he quoted Romans 11:33–36, with which I’ll conclude:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

——

[1] Quote comes from Romans: Exposition of Chapter 1 – The Gospel of God, page 97. Banner of Truth.

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