Be Still My Soul

Be Still My Soul is a hymn written in 1752 by Katharina A. von Schlegel as Stille, meine Wille, dein Jesus hilft siegen.  It was translated from German to English in 1855 by Jane L. Borthwick. It is sung to the tune Finlandia, composed by Jean Sibelius in 1899.  Finlandia is also used for the hymns We Rest on Thee, written by Edith G. Cherry in 1895, and A Christian Home, written by Barbara B. Hart in 1916.

This hymn apparently was a favorite of Eric Liddell. If you haven't seen the movie Chariots of Fire, I encourage you to watch it. Liddell became famous in the 1924 Olympic games because he refused to run on the Sabbath. Instead of running the 100 meters, he ran in the 400 meters on a different day and won gold. The next year, he went to China as a missionary (where he had spent several years of his childhood with his parents, who were also missionaries). He would be placed in an internment camp by the Japanese during WWII and die of an inoperable brain tumor in 1943. Before his death, he was respected and loved by those in the camp because of his efforts to encourage and serve them.

I love this hymn because it speaks to me in pain, reminds me of the hope I have in Christ, and calls me to worship Him. I appreciate the way each verse reminds me of something different. The first verse reminds me that God is faithful and has promised a joyful end. Some days the grief and pain of loss and isolation threaten to overwhelm me, but God has promised a joyful end. Christ is my best, my heavenly friend. The second verse reminds me that God is sovereign. Some days it is difficult to believe that as I see so much evil in the world. The third verse reminds me that Christ has conquered death, and that those I love who have died in Christ are not lost but found. The fourth verse reminds me that there is coming a day, and it is coming quickly, when Christ shall wipe every tear from our eyes and fill us with inexpressible joy in His presence. And the fifth verse reminds me that I am not to sit and wait for that day. Being still does not mean being idle. Being still means being patient, trusting Him, and praising him day after day, always looking to His coming, but always serving Him faithfully and worshiping Him here until He comes again.

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 heavenly friend
Through thorny ways leads 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.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening 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 blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

(Public Domain)