Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10 KJV

If I asked you what you needed today, what would be your answer? For those I see and talk with, their answer is rest for a weary heart and mind. In today’s world, with twenty-four-hour news channels, it is easy to become overwhelmed. But God remains the same no matter our circumstances.

The Author

When researching her name, there’s not much you find about Katharina A. von Schlegel, except she was a German hymn writer who wrote twenty-nine hymns. But those hymns speak volumes about the woman. Her writing suggests she had a personal relationship with the Lord and relied on the Scriptures for comfort. The words imply she may have learned this particular lesson through difficult circumstances.

Be Still, My Soul was written in German and later translated into English by Jane Laurie Borthwick. The hymn is sung to the tune of Finlandia, written by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.

In his book, Then Sings My Soul, 250 of the World’s Greatest Hymn Stories, Robert J. Morgan shares the story of Virgil J. Bachman, a soldier in WWII. Bachman states that he and other soldiers sang Be Still, My Soul in a small stucco church in France. The news from the front wasn’t good, and the men were discouraged. The assurance found in the words was desperately needed. He writes the peace he felt when leaving that little church was a gift from the Holy Spirit.

The Song

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
Thro’ 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 veil 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 blessed we shall meet at last.

Public Domain

Today’s Thoughts

There are truths in Katharina A. von Schlegel’s song that will help us through difficult days, just as they did Virgil J. Bachman in war-torn France. Truths such as keeping our hearts and minds on the Lord and not letting anything shake our confidence. The waves and winds know His voice. Faithful is the Lord!

Let those truths settle into your spirit, dear friend.

Interestingly, “be still” is the Hebrew word raphah (Strong’s H7503), which leads us to the Hebrew word rapha (Strong’s H7495).

Raphah: A primitive root; to slacken (in many applications, literally or figuratively): – abate, cease, consume, draw [toward evening], fail, (be) faint, be (wax) feeble, forsake, idle, leave, let alone (go, down), (be) slack, stay, be still, be slothful, (be) weak (-en). See H7495. Strong’s Concordance

Rapha: A primitive root; properly to mend (by stitching), that is, (figuratively) to cure: – cure, (cause to) heal, physician, repair, X thoroughly, make whole. See H7503. Strong’s Concordance

Why is this interesting to this writer? Because Rapha is translated as “heal” in Jeremiah 17:14.

Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

Some of us know the healing properties of physical rest. Others, not so much. I can say that because I used to be the nonstop dynamo who thought breaks were for wimps. I avoided resting like the coughing customer over in the next checkout lane. Busyness allowed me to avoid the wounds and mistakes I had buried. But then I learned (and am still learning) that we heal when the body, mind, and spirit rest in God.

Only God can do certain things. In several stories in the Bible, the Lord told the people to be still because there was nothing the people could do. They had to let go and let God, as the saying goes.

Being still is an art. So what does it mean and how do we start?

Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved. Psalm 62:1-2

Waiteth: from H1820; stillness; adverbially silently; abstractly quiet, trust: – silence, silent, waiteth. (Strong’s H1747)

The idea is there is no apprehension because our faith is in God, and we trust Him in all circumstances.

During my study, I came across Got Questions, Your Questions. Biblical Answers. In the article, the writer writes, “Faith is inseparable from trust; it’s the confidence that God can and will do what He says in His Word. Faith includes both intellectual assent to something and trust in it.”

Later, he writes, “Faith without trust is not faith. Belief without reliance is empty.” To demonstrate, he compares faith and trust to a trust fall. A trust fall is when you turn your back to someone you have faith in and fall backward, trusting they will catch you. (You can read the article here.)

After reading that, we must ask ourselves if we trust the Lord to do what He said He would do in His Word. If yes, why are our souls tossed about upon a sea of doubt? If the answer is no, then how can we learn to trust Him?

Trust is a decision, just like love. Trust increases with every trial. Faith multiplies with study and prayer. Perhaps when our souls learn to be still, we will find healing from our worries.