For I am the Lord, your God,
Who takes hold of your right hand
And says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Psalm 41:13
One way to calm our hearts and fears besides reading the Bible is listening to or reading hymns that speak to the emotions we are experiencing. There are many things that cause us to fear. Because we live in an imperfect world where we encounter unsettling circumstances sometimes almost daily, we need to be grounded with God’s Word firmly upon our hearts.
We go through times when our questions seem to go unanswered, or we don’t know how we are going to get through all of the uncertainties we may be facing. It’s times like this when we need to allow God’s Word to speak to us. Sometimes God speaks to us through His faithful children who are gifted to pen poetry in powerful ways based ever so carefully upon the truth of His Word. The hymn text below is one of those hymns that I find my heart singing in difficult times. I find comfort in the lyrics that speak gospel truths contained in the scriptures.
Read this hymn prayerfully.
BE STILL, MY SOUL
1 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 ev'ry change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heav'nly Friend thro' thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
2 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.
3 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.
4 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.
Did the promises of hope and love jump off the page as you sank your heart into this writing? This hymn alone has well over forty scripture verses that reference the heartbeat of the text. It is rich in theology and Biblical truth. Here are but a few of the scripture passages that give weight to the poetic rendering of this beautifully crafted hymn text: Genesis 22:14; Joshua 1:5-9; 2 Chronicles 14:11; Psalm 27; Psalm 46; Psalm 107:28-30; Psalm 124, Proverbs 3:5; Isaiah 35:10; Mark 4:35-41; 1 Timothy 4:10; 1 Peter 1:6-7, Revelation 21:1-6.
Taking time to look up any of these verses would tether your heart even closer to God. He alone gives us daily strength to stand firm, and faith to walk with assurance and confidence to live without fear. I pray this hymn text will speak to your heart like it does mine.
Why not use this hymn or any hymn that speaks to you as a daily devotional to draw you into the Word and closer to God?
If you want to let your ears hear the beauty of the stirring melody coupled with this hymn text, check out these two links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqKVFYD8Obc; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc1N4YuHMsA&list=RDxc1N4YuHMsA&start_radio=1&t=292.
