For this month of blogs, we are going to focus our attention on the hymn “Be Still My Soul” by Katherina von Shlegel. Written in 1752, this hymn is a conversation between my soul and the Truth that I know in God’s word. From affirming his faithfulness, his guidance, his presence, and his future hope for us, we get to disciple our souls to breathe deeply of Him and know Him. I hope that each week, you will let yourself be still by soaking in the words that you read and resting in the words that you hear.

Stanza 1: Be Still, Soul, The Lord is on Your Side

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.

I don’t think I’ve had many moments to be still over the past few weeks or months. From travel, conferences, hospitality and work, we have been treading water for quite a while. A couple of weeks ago, the Lord kindly dropped this song into the jukebox in my brain, reminding me that I need to be still. For me, stillness has historically been a curse. From timeouts as a kid sitting on the stairs while others got to play (FOMO), to illnesses that knocked me off my feet, I have not had a great relationship with stillness. I even remember having my legs and arms taped down to my chair in first grade because I couldn’t be still enough for Mrs. Creech. What I have found, though, is that sitting in silence forces me to hear the parts of my soul that don’t get much play time when I’m on the run.

When I choose to make space, those soulish songs deep in my being lament with grief, loss, and pain. And yet, if I sit still long enough after I have given way to the tears, I hear the call to look at my Friend, my Protector, My Lover. His presence is with me, his faithfulness surrounds me, his leadership quietly leads me back to joy.

Psalm 37:7 calls us to be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

Still and patient when I feel that others are against me.

Still and patient when pain comes my way.

Still and patient when changes swoop in and knock me off my feet.

Still and patient when I hit the hard spaces and don’t know where to turn.

Where is God asking you to sit still and patient today? Are you willing to sing this verse to your soul and bear what He has for you right now?

Here’s a link to “Be Still My Soul” by Selah. Enjoy!