Be Still My Soul: Resting in the Sufficiency of Christ
Preached on August 23, 2009, by Eric Schumacher
Topics: Encouragement Hymns
© Eric M Schumacher – Preached August 23, 2009 at Northbrook Baptist Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Audio available here soon.
Katharina Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel
Very little is known about Katharina von Schlegel, the author of “Be Still, My Soul.” She was born October 22, 1697 in Germany. The date of her death is unknown, though it appears she died around 1768 in Kothen.
She was a Lutheran. She was influenced by the pietistic revival, led by Jacob Spener. She may have been the canoness of an evangelical women’s seminary in Germany. Her surname may indicate that she was a court lady in the household of the Duke of Kothen.
In 1752, near the end of her life, she contributed at least 20 hymns to a collection of songs. “Be Still, My Soul” was translated from German to English by Jane Borthwick in 1855, and in 1927, David Evans paired it with Jean Sibelius’ stirring tune “Finlandia.”
Psalm 46 – A Meditation on Application
Though no written Scripture reference was given, the basis for this hymn is almost certainly Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God.” We looked at this psalm last month, when we were meditating on the hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” Our hymn this morning might be considered “a meditation on the application of Psalm 46.”
The Setting
Psalm 46 begins with a picture of nature in uproar. Verse one simply mentions “trouble.” Verses two and three speak of “the earth giving way,” “the mountains being moved into the heart of the sea,” the waters of the sea “roaring and foaming,” and “the mountains trembling at the sea’s swelling.” Later, it describes political upheaval on an international scale. In verse 6, we learn that “the nations rage, the kingdoms totter.” Warfare and national tumult is described.
The Bible is very honest about the type of world in which we live. The Bible recognizes that we live in a world where life is not “a bowl full of cherries.”
We dwell on a globe that is under a curse, an earth where thorns and thistles grow. The land and the sea are groaning and do not always behave in ways that we would prefer. The seas roar and foam, spinning out hurricanes. The earth shakes.
Memories are fresh in our minds of last years flood and the Parkersburg tornado. A quick scan of the headlines points us to Hurricane Bill threatening the eastern coast, to powerful earthquakes in Japan, Indonesia, the Indian Ocean, and Alaska and to flu pandemics.
We live in a world inhabited by sinful human beings. Nations was rage against one another in war. Through various means kingdoms totter and fall. A scan of the headlines reminds us of economic instability, political division, nuclear threats, high-jackings and bombings.
We live in a very uncertain and instable world. And all that is not to mention the circumstances of your personal life! You may feel far removed from hurricanes and earthquakes, from political coups and international warfare, but those descriptions might describe how you feel about life.
You may be dealing with a personal tragedy—health, finances, job, relationships, marriage, children, or otherwise. Perhaps it feels as though your life is like the “roaring and foaming” of a wild sea, like the mountains are quaking and tumbling into the heart of the sea. Perhaps it feels like you are caught in the midst of nations raging and kingdoms tottering.
Well, if that is you, know that the Bible speaks to people with such lives. And so does this hymn. Notice the phrases that this hymn employs:
- “the cross of grief or pain”
- “in every change”
- “through thorny ways”
- “all now mysterious”
- “the waves and winds”
- “when dearest friends depart”
- “all is darkened in the vale of tears”
- “your sorrow and your fears”
- “all He takes away”
- “disappointment, grief and fear…sorrow”
- “change and tears”
- “passing clouds”
This hymn, like this psalm, is written for people for whom life hurts, who are restless, changing and uncertain, for whom the sky is dark, the wind is strong, and the path is hard and lonely. This hymn is written for people who are disappointed, grieved, afraid and sad. That is what much of life is like. And, it is important that we sing honest songs that address us in these times.
The Application
In this context, there is one central application to Psalm 46: “Rest in the sufficiency of God.”
Verses 4-6 recall that like a refreshing, life-giving river in the midst of a city, God dwells in the midst of his people. Just a river through the center of a city allowed that city to survive when surrounded by an army, God’s presence in the midst of his people guarantees that they “shall not moved; God will help her when morning dawns.” The nations may rage and the kingdoms may totter, but one word from God can cause it all to end. Thus, we have the double refrain of the Psalm, “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Verses 8-9 call the listeners to look at and remember what God has done in the past. He has brought desolations on the earth. He has made war cease and broken the weapons of warfare.
Verse 10 sounds the great application of the Psalm – “Be still, and know that I am God.” The Lord promises that despite the shaking of the earth and the raging of the nations, his purposes are fixed, unchanging and certain in the realm of the nations and nature. “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
If the Lord is with his people and his purposes and promises are fixed and certain, then his people have no cause for worry or despair—they only need have faith in God, which is what it means to “be still, and know that I am God.” To “be still and know” means to be satisfied with who God is and in what he promises and to bank all your hope on that. It is to rest in the sufficiency of God.
That is the main message of this hymn – In light of who God is, what he has done, and what he promises in Jesus Christ, be still, my soul. In her original German text, Katharina von Schlegel writes twelve times in the space of 6 stanzas, “Be still, my soul” (or, ten times in our five English stanzas).
The Hymn’s Message
As we look through the five translated stanzas of this hymn, we see the message of Psalm 46 applied in five different ways. We see the repeated command to “be still,” followed by explanations of who God is, what God has done in the past, and what God promises in the future as a basis for the command “be still.”
In the Midst of Grief and Pain, We Can Rest in the Sufficiency of…
…the Faithful Friendship of Christ.
Stanza one reminds us that we can be still because the faithful friendship of Jesus Christ is sufficient to see us through every situation.
The hymn reminds us, “The Lord is on your side.” That has always been the hope of God’s people. When Israel stood on the banks of the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army breathing down their necks, they were greatly afraid, but Moses said to the people (Exodus 14:10-14)Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.The Lord would fight for them. The Lord was on their side. They had only to be silent. They had only to be still, to rest in the sufficiency of the Lord being on their side. Thus, the refrain of this Psalm: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress!”
We are reminded that we can “bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.” We do not need to be filled with anxiety. Rather, we “leave to…God to order and provide.” We can trust God because “in every change He faithful will remain.” The Lord never forsakes his people, his promises, or his purposes. Therefore, we exhort ourselves again, “Be still, my soul” with the reassurance, “your best, your heavenly Friend, through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.”
It is the great privilege of God’s people to be counted as friends of God. I know that some scoff or recoil at that idea. But, there is certainly Scriptural warrant for it. Abraham was called the “friend of God.”2 Chronicles 20:7 Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?James 2:23 “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.
This friendship meant that the Lord had entered into a covenant relationship with him in which there was no more enmity between them. He had promised to be with Abraham and to bless him.
But how does this apply to us? Psalm 25:14 says, “The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.” The friendship of the Lord is for those to whom the Lord makes know his covenant. God makes his covenant known to us through Jesus Christ. At the Lord’s Supper we remember the words of Christ that the cup is “the New Covenant in his blood.”
Jesus Christ died on the cross under the wrath of God for our sins, to reconcile us to God. His death satisfies the righteous anger of God, something proven by the resurrection. When we repent of our sin and trust in Christ’s death and resurrection to save us, the Lord pronounces us to be forgiven. Christ’s righteousness is give to us and we have a righteous standing before the Father. We are reconciled. We have entered into a covenant relationship with the Lord.
Thus, Jesus says to his disciples:John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.So, as believers in Jesus Christ, as recipients of the New Covenant, we have friendship with God. In particular, we have friendship with Jesus Christ, the Messiah himself.
And this heavenly Friend is our “best” Friend. Though all else change, “though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling,” though “the nations rage,” though “the kingdoms totter,” “He faithful will remain.”
This does not mean that he will make life all pleasant and pain-free. He leads us “through thorny ways.” But, his faithful friendship ensures us that he always has good purposes in mind for his people. As the Apostle Paul famously puts it (Romans 8:28): “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Or, you could sing it this way: “Your best, your heavenly Friend through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.” That brings us to the second stanza.
…the Sovereignty of Christ.
The thought of God “ordering” and “providing,” of God “leading” through thorny ways to a joyful end brings to mind the sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ. By sovereignty, I am referring to both power and providence; to both God’s power to rule over all things and to his providential plan by which he controls and directs all that comes to pass.
This is the thought that flows through stanza two. It begins with reassurance that “your God will undertake to guide the future as he has the past.” Therefore, you should be still. You should let nothing shake your confidence, because all that is now mysterious shall be bright at last.
That is how God has guided the past for his people, isn’t it! God has allowed his people to be put in situations where things were “mysterious.” He allows them to get into situations where their deliverance appears to be impossible. He does this to show his greatness.
This is what the Psalmist invites us to consider in verses 8, “Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth.” We are invited to look at the past to see how God has guided the past.
Do you remember how God guided the past with Abraham? When Abraham was one hundred years old and his wife was ninety years—and childless!—the Lord appeared to Abraham and told him that he would multiply his offspring and make him the father of a multitude of nations. How could that be? They were old and childless!
And then, when the Lord gave Abraham and Sarah a son, Isaac, the Lord commanded Abraham to sacrifice him. How would the Lord make Abraham exceedingly fruitful, if his only son were dead? But the Lord provided a substitute and provided Abraham with offspring.
Do you remember how God guided the past with Joseph? His brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery. He was taken to Egypt, where he was falsely accused, imprisoned and forgotten. It looked hopeless! But the Lord was guiding so that Israel could go to Egypt, be kept alive during the famine, and have good land in which they could grow to be a people who numbered as many as the stars in the heavens.
Do you remember how God guided the past at the Red Sea? When the Israelites were trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s approaching army, the situation looked hopeless. But, the Lord parted the waters so that they could pass through on dry ground. And he drowned Pharaoh’s army, getting glory over Pharaoh.
Do you remember how God guided the past in providing salvation for us? He sent his Son to be the Messiah, his anointed King! He lived a perfect, holy, blameless life. He was able to walk on the sea, to calm storms with a word, to turn water into wine, and to raise the dead. Yet, he was rejected by everyone and crucified!
How in the world could a crucified Messiah, a dying God-man be the hope of the world!? And yet, through the resurrection, God showed that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all those who will believe in him. God revealed his wisdom and strength through the foolishness and weakness of the cross.
Do you see how God has led in the past? God has always led “through thorny ways to a joyful end.”
And we know that our joyful end will only come by a thorny path. In Acts 14:22, we read of Paul ministering to the saints in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Paul told Timothy (2 Timothy 3:12), “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Jesus said that (Matthew 7:14), “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
In what you face today, do you trust that he will guide the future as he has the past? O friends who believe in Jesus Christ, I do not know what you are facing in life, but I know this – you can be still, “the waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them when he dwelt below.”
“The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” The God who parted the Red Sea and the Lord who walked upon the sea, and who calmed the wind and waves with a word, is our God still.
…the Presence of Christ.
The sovereign God who is our friend is the God whose presence dwells with his people.
This third stanza begins by describing loneliness and trial. As a Christian, whether through death or desertion, there will be times “when dearest friends depart.” Do you remember what Jesus said in Luke 21:16-17?You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake.And, there will be times when “all is darkened in the vale of tears.” Jesus said in John 16:33, “In the world you will have tribulation.” In 1 Thessalonians 3:3, Paul told the believers not to be moved by afflictions, “for you yourselves know that we are destined for this.” And in Romans 8:17, Paul says that we are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
But it is in the midst of loneliness and dark tears, “then shall you better know His love, His heart, Who comes to soothe your sorrow and your fears.” The Lord is present with his suffering people to comfort and strengthen them with his own presence.
This is the reminder of Psalm 46: “The Lord of hosts is with us.”
It was the experience of David:Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.This was Paul’s experience, as he relates it in 2 Timothy 4:16-18:At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.The Lord stood with Paul when no one else did. And Paul was confident that the Lord would stand with him until the end.
And our Lord Jesus promised in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:20), “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” And when the age is done, the Lord will take us to himself, so that we will always be with the Lord.
Our hope and our joy is not found in people or our present situations. Our hope and joy are found in the sufficiency of the presence of our Lord, our God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are encouraged to trust him, because “your Jesus can repay from his own fullness all He takes away.” Whatever the Lord takes away from us, he can repay to us from himself.
We are called to leave our family, to leave our home, to follow Jesus and to lose our lives. But Jesus promises to repay what we lose. He promises:Matthew 10:39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.And:Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.And the Lord Jesus himself tells us to stand firm in our faith to the end because he promises, “Surely I am coming soon.”
Peter promised suffering believers:
1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
…the Promises of Christ.
Since Christ has promised as much, we can rest in the sufficiency of his promises.
The fourth stanza reads,Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening onThe hymn reminds us that the Lord has promised us a coming hour when we will be with him forever. There is a coming hour when “disappointment, grief and fear” will be gone. There is an hour coming when sorrow will be forgot, when love’s purest joys will be restored.
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.
So, “be still,” because when change and tears—the trembling of the mountains, the swelling of the sea and the raging of the tottering nations—are all past, we shall meet Jesus at last, and live forever all safe and all blessed.
This is how Psalm 46 encourages the stillness of faith. It supports the command for faith, “Be still and know that I am God,” with the reminder of God’s promises:I will be exalted among the nations,No matter how loud the raging of the nations, the trembling of the mountains and the roaring of the sea may become, God’s purposes are fixed and certain! He will be exalted! And that day included the redemption of God’s people to live with him forever.
I will be exalted in the earth!
This is how Isaiah encouraged God’s people to believe—to look to the coming day when sorrow would be forgot and love’s purest joys restored:Isaiah 25:8-9 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.And Revelation 7:15-17 tells us of the condition of those who have come out of the great tribulation:
It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."…they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.And it will be the same for all of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ unto the end:Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”That day is coming! “When change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.”
Eric Liddell
Perhaps that is why “Be Still, My Soul,” (this text and tune) was the favorite hymn of Eric Liddell. He is perhaps most best known for refusing to run on Sunday in the 1924 Olympics (a story made famous in the film, Chariots of Fire). But, later in life, Liddell would become a missionary to China. During World War II, he was captured and imprisoned in a prisoner of war camp, where he would eventually die of a brain tumor.
It was this hymn that he taught to the other prisoners in the camp to provide comfort and hope, to strengthen their faith. In the midst of change and tears, disappointment, grief and fear, Liddell remembered and taught others that the day was coming when all that would be gone, and Jesus Christ would remain forever.
…Faith in Christ.
If all these things are true, what are we to do? If it is true that through Jesus Christ we have the assurance of God’s friendship, his sovereignty, his presence and his promises, then how should we respond?
The fifth stanza of our hymn gives us this charge:Be still, my soul: begin the song of praiseThe hymn finally gets around to defining what it means to “be still.” It means to sing the “song of praise on earth.”
On earth, believing, to the Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all your works and ways,
So shall He view you with a well-pleased eye.
A “song of praise” is a song giving the Lord praise for what he has done, particularly in regards to salvation. In Exodus 15, we see Moses lead the people of Israel in a song of praise for delivering his people from the hand of Pharoah. In Revelation 15, we see the redeemed in heaven singing “the song of Moses…and the song of the Lamb,” rejoicing in God’s redemption.
But, we are encouraged to “begin the song of praise on earth.” We have not yet received the full consummation, fulfillment of his promises. We have not yet dwelt in the full, personal presence of God our friend. So, since we have not yet seen these things, why would we begin the song?
We begin the song, “believing to the Lord on high.” The song we sing is the song of faith. We believe that God will do what God has promised.
Hebrews 11:6 teaches us that “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." And, Hebrews 13:15-16 says:Through [Christ] then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.That is what it means to “acknowledge him in all your works and ways.” To “acknowledge him” means to subordinate your understanding to his. It does not mean to do works and walk in his ways in hopes of earning salvation. It means to bring your works and ways under his sovereign wisdom. It means to live in ways that the world calls foolish because you believe that God is faithful.
And in this way—through believing the promises of God—“shall he view you with a well-pleased eye.” We are taught that we are pleasing to God through faith. What pleases God is rest in his sufficiency in Christ.
What God has always called his people to do is to simply rest in his sufficiency. To be confident in his promises. To be satisfied with who he is and what he has promised.James 2:23 “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”At the Red Sea (Exodus 14:13-14), Moses said to the people,Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.They did not have to fight for and earn their deliverance. They had only to “be still,” to “be silent.”
And through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord told the people of Israel (Isaiah 30:15-16):For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore you shall flee away; and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”; therefore your pursuers shall be swift.The Lord called them to “repent” and “believe.” Not in their own strength, but “in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But they wanted to trust in horses and in swift steeds for their salvation. And so, they perished.
God has called us to “be still,” to believe……that we are no longer at enmity with God, but are his friends, having been reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.Do you believe all these thing?
...that he is guiding the future as he has the past; all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.
…that Jesus can (and will!) repay from his own fullness all he takes away.
…that the hour is hastening on when we shall be forever with the Lord.
If so, then, “Be still…the Sun of life divine through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.”