Dear Fellow Alumni,
I want to share some thoughts from my recent devotion based on an ancient hymn – Be Still My Soul. This hymn was first written in German in the 18th century during the time of a movement called Pietism that impacted Germany, after the decline of the Reformation. Pietism stressed the need for a spiritual awakening in the souls of humankind, creating a deep longing for Jesus and the need to live holy lives, in order to please the holy God. The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century restored the Bible as its ultimate source of authority for all faith and conduct. It also reinstated the truth that salvation is by faith alone, through grace alone, in the finished work of Christ alone!
But this Reformation that spread all over Europe was won through many wars and bloodshed. The Protestant church was birthed, and the truths of the Gospel were clearly outlined and taught. But eventually Christianity became primarily cerebral – with all the clear doctrines that were taught in catechism classes. What was lacking was a love-relationship with Jesus that would impact and transform lives; and a life of holiness and a desire to be more like Christ. Pietism began in Europe, and the university of Halle became the institution where holiness and a deep longing for the things of Christ and his kingdom were taught and emulated. This song was written in this context.
In the 19th century, this song was translated into English and set to the music of Finlandia! Immediately, the lyrics and this music took off, and the hymn became popular to this day.
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.
This hymn was inspired by Psalm 46:10:
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”?
This verse encourages people to trust God and to rest in His power, even when faced with challenges.?The phrase “be still” in Hebrew is translated as? “let go, or cease striving,” indicating that the individual must cease all control and put his/her confidence in the almighty and sovereign God.?The verse also highlights that God is the ultimate Ruler and all nations will one day come to acknowledge this truth, recognising him as the sovereign Lord of all.?
The hymn, like the Psalm, reminds us that we must trust God implicitly at all times, despite the challenges and the crises that we may face daily or unexpectedly. The Psalmist commands us to “be still and know” that God is sovereign; that God knows exactly what is happening; that God wants us to cease all control of the situation, and to let him take over!?
Notice the words in the second stanza:
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.
The verse reminds us that this God is the same God, yesterday, today and all our tomorrows. As he has seen us in all of our “yesterdays”, so also, he will see us through all our “tomorrows”. He was the Master over the winds and the waves when he walked this earth, so also today, he rules over the winds and the waves, the storms and the tempests in our lives.
Take heart, dear fellow alumni, as we dwell temporarily on this earth, amidst the “thorny ways.” All these will soon pass away. What seemed mysterious will one day become clear and bright!?
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus Christ, the Author and Perfector of our faith and the Lover of our souls.?
