“Be Still, My Soul” quietly whispers the desire of God for us to completely surrender to Him and wait upon his timing. It was originally written in Germany during the latter half of the 17th century during a time that many Lutherans as this time were practicing Pietism, a doctrine that involved deep devotion, ethical purity, and charitable activity.

Katharina von Schlegel wrote the lyrics. A century later, Jane Borthwick, a Scottish-born composer, translated the hymn into English. And finally, Jean Sibelius, Finland’s finest composer put the words to music. It amazes me that God crossed time and language barriers in order to deliver the message of Christian patience.

Be Still, My Soul

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
Thru 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! 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.

The Lord used this hymn in a powerful way. It was the favorite of the Olympic athlete Eric Liddell. He became famous in 1924 for not competing on the Sabbath. After  retiring from athletics, he became a missionary in China. He was captured in World War II and held in a hard labor prison compound. Yet, that did not silence his faith. He taught this song to fellow prisoners. His death was mourned world wide when he died in the prison camp of a brain tumor just 5 months before he was to be released. His last words were “It’s complete surrender.”