The “Thirty Years’ War” (1618-1648) was a devastating European conflict centered in what’s now Germany. It began as a power struggle between Protestant and Catholic forces within the Holy Roman Empire but spread among various factions throughout Europe, eventually drawing in much of Central Europe, including Spanish, Swedish, French, Dutch, Croatian, Hungarian, Prussian, and other forces. Entire regions were destroyed when marauding armies looted and plundered the villages they conquered, and in the process, consumed and destroyed land, crops, and cattle.<\/p>\n
From this miasma of death, disease and destruction emerged Martin Rinkart (1586-1649), a German clergyman. Rinkart spent most of his life in Eilenburg, Saxony (near modern Leipzig in eastern Germany). The son of a poor cooper, he attended the Latin School in Eilenburg. At 15, he became a scholar and chorister at St Thomas’ School in Leipzig, which enabled him to study theology at the University of Leipzig beginning in 1602. In 1610 he became master of the gymnasium in Eisleben and cantor of St Nicholas Church. In 1611 he was appointed Deacon of St Anne’s Church where he remained for two years. From 1613-1617 he was pastor at Erdeborn and Lyttichendorf (L\u00fctjendorf), near Eisleben, after which he moved to Eilenburg, where he remained until his death in 1649.<\/p>\n
He was appointed Archdeacon in 1617 and was one of four pastors in Eilenburg at the beginning of 1637. As a walled city, Eilenburg was frequently the destination for refugees in the region. It suffered greatly during the Thirty Years’ War, but, to make matters worse, the Plague swept through the region and city in 1637. One pastor, the superintendent, left for healthier climes. Rinkart officiated at the funerals of the other two. His wife died in May of that year. At times, 30-40 people could be seen in the streets of the city fighting over dead cats and crows in hopes of finding food. About 8,000 people died from the plague, mostly that year, and Rinkart officiated at the funerals of over 4,000 of them, sometimes for as many as 40-50 people per day. By the end of the year, they simply dug trenches and buried people en masse with no funeral services.<\/p>\n
In 1638, a wave of marriages swept over the town, as citizens attempted to rebuild their lives. Rinkart officiated most of these, and he himself remarried in June. Soon afterward, a severe drought struck the area, which strained Rinkart’s own resources. During this same time span, Rinkart was able to spare the city from attacks by Swiss forces in 1637 and again in 1639. Despite his extraordinary service, he was harassed in his final years by local officials who had little appreciation for all he had done.<\/p>\n
Rinkart was a prolific hymnist and around this time, probably in 1636, he wrote what became his most well-known hymn, “Now Thank We All Our God.” Regardless of when it was written, it dates to this general period of war and disease. Some think it began as a table prayer he used with his family at mealtime. The words are humble and thoughtful, especially in view of what we know of Rinkart and his times.<\/p>\n
Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
\nWho wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
\nWho from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
\nWith countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
\nO may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
\nWith ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
\nAnd keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
\nAnd free us from all ills, in this world and the next!
\nAll praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
\nThe Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
\nThe one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
\nFor thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.<\/blockquote>\nIt’s difficult to imagine the level of hardship that a man such as Rinkart endured. It’s equally hard to read the lyrics of this simple hymn and fully grasp the contentment and gratitude it expresses.<\/p>\n
The truest measure of gratitude comes not when our pantries, plates, wallets, bank accounts, and garages are full, but when they’re empty. Can we be grateful and content when we lack these things? “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content<\/em>” (I Timothy 6:8).<\/p>\nI once heard a church member comment on this text saying, “Well, I just think it would be a whole lot easier to be content if a person was rich.”<\/p>\n
May God help me be less like that and more like Rinkart.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Cloyce Sutton II The “Thirty Years’ War” (1618-1648) was a devastating European conflict centered in what’s now Germany. It began as a power struggle between Protestant and Catholic forces within the Holy Roman Empire but spread among various factions throughout Europe, eventually drawing in much of Central Europe, including Spanish, Swedish, French, Dutch, Croatian,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[385,1395,520,704],"class_list":["post-39934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-contentment","tag-gratitude","tag-music","tag-thankfulness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":85660,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/religion-in-germany\/","url_meta":{"origin":39934,"position":0},"title":"Religion in Germany","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Hans H. Waetjen via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 2, June 30, 1990 Floyd asked me some time ago to write an article on the state of religion in Germany. With all the latest political developments in East Germany, this information may be even more relevant now. So, I will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9534,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-story-of-the-churches-of-christ-in-central-europe\/","url_meta":{"origin":39934,"position":1},"title":"The Story of the Churches of Christ in Central Europe","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 12, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by H. Godwin Grimm January 1957 Mannheim, Germany The history of the churches of Christ is the story of a small group of men and women united to Christ in a bond of obedience and mutual love, guided and inspired by His spirit. They felt commissioned by the Lord to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12978,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-there-really-not-that-many-homosexuals\/","url_meta":{"origin":39934,"position":2},"title":"Are there really not that many homosexuals?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Source: Justin McCarthy, \"Americans Still Greatly Overestimate U.S. Gay Population\", 27 June 2019. A poll in 2017 found 4.5% of the United States population identifies itself as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.\u00a0But notice that this lumps a lot of people together with different sexual practices. Source:\u00a0Statista Research Department, \"U.S. Homosexuality\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":91566,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/half-of-americans-no-longer-see-traditional-sins-as-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":39934,"position":3},"title":"Half of Americans no longer see traditional sins as wrong","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Source: Chris Eyte, \"Half of Americans no longer view most traditional sins as wrong, Barna study finds,\"\u00a0Christian Daily International, 23 October 2025. \"... most Americans now say that they only consider half of 12 specific behaviors presented to them and traditionally considered sinful, as actually sinful.\" \"Some behaviors, such as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36657,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-acts-2-justify-churches-helping-the-poor-in-the-general-population\/","url_meta":{"origin":39934,"position":4},"title":"Does Acts 2 justify churches helping the poor in the general population?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 27, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In Acts 2 Christians were selling their property and giving to those in need. Were these individuals giving to individuals or individuals giving to the church and the church giving? If it was the church giving, were they giving to non-Christians or Christians only? I've heard this scripture used\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28147,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-could-so-many-and-different-people-come-from-just-two-people\/","url_meta":{"origin":39934,"position":5},"title":"How could so many and different people come from just two people?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In the beginning, when there was just Adam and Eve, I know they had kids but if they were the only ones then how did there get to be so many people on the earth? And if there was only them at first then how come people are so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/NeanderthalSkull.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39934\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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The human toll was staggering. It’s estimated that half the male population of Germany died, as well as 15-30% of the total population. Some areas lost between half and three-quarters of their populations. Thousands of castles and towns were destroyed, as well as tens of thousands of villages. Some towns took a century to recover from their losses; others disappeared forever. Disease aggravated all of this. Epidemics of bubonic plague, scurvy, dysentery, and typhus killed thousands, perhaps millions.<\/p>\n