Be Still My Soul

The hymn Be Still, My Soul brings a deep quietness to the disquieted heart. Each verse offers its own respite. And each one turns us to Jesus. Let’s look at the lyrics.

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Sweet assurance: the Lord in on our side! Gentle reminders to be patient in suffering. The Lord cares for us. He will lead us to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Has not God been faithful in the past? Take heart! He still cares for us. Life is full of mysteries that distress us. But one day the Lord will open our eyes to their meaning. So be at peace. As Jesus stopped the winds and the waves on earth, he will manage for us those storms in our lives.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

With each day we are drawing nearer to being in the presence of Jesus. The trials of this world will be forgotten. We will know the pure joy of eternity with the Savior and all the redeemed. We’ll finally be Home!

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Does it seem that the road is long? And hard? And it’s taking forever?

Something caught my attention as I studied the page with the hymn words. On the Timeless Hymns website I learned that Be Still, My Soul was written by Katharina A. von Schlegel in 1752. It was translated into English by Jane L.Borthwick in 1855. The tune, Finlandia, was written in 1899 by Jean Sibelius.

As it turns out, Be Still, My Soul was 147 years in the making for it to become the song that we sing today. And many people had a part of its creation.

The Lord does things in his time and for his purpose, usually without explanation. You can trust him. Don’t fret. We have his promise in Philippians 1:6 which assures us that… he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Amen!