Be Still, My Soul

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.
-Psalm 37:7

Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
-Psalm 46:10

Be still my soul, be still. Ka­tha­ri­na A. von Schle­gel, the writer of this hymn, gives us many gifts in these words I carry around with me. Last week, I visited a chapel in New Jersey, a building about as old as these lyrics. I wandered into the dim, resonant space on that bright, autumn afternoon. The pews were empty but for a few folks milling about on the outside aisles. As I found my way to a well-worn bench toward the middle, I began to trace the storylines of the painted glass in the arched ceilings above my head.

I marveled at the commitment of architectural design, artistic gifts, the time and resources it must have taken to create a place like this. Such beauty ushered me into stillness and conversation with God. An organist played hymns intermittently on the organ pipes, and each time he finished one, the room imploded into stunning silence. No applause. No cheers. No audible response necessary.

Life is noisy. A hymn like “Be Still My Soul” gives me assurance that in the noise of life, my soul is held secure in the silence—silence that goes before and behind me. In the noise of my emotions or in daily work rhythms, the silence between the happenings is a constant. The silence helps me find my place in the world, to see who I am, and it makes space for my soul to listen to God. Even in the most joyful tones of life, as in music, the space between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves.

Hebrew scholar Ellen Davis translates the first verse of Psalm 65 in this way:

“To you, O God, silence is praise.”

Silence is praise? You mean I don’t have to say or prove anything? I can just be here, be who I am, where I am, and let the silence envelop me?

Like Job’s declaration of God’s goodness in spite of his personal losses (Job 1:21), Katharina echoes:

“Be still, my soul, your Jesus can repay,
from his own fullness, all he takes away.”

These are challenging and comforting words, strung disruptively close together. The challenging part is the reminder that we are not the ones in control. If space is a kind of loss, the comfort of the stanza is this: like music notes on a page, we ought to submit ourselves to receive both the notes themselves (like joy) and the space between the notes (like loss) before God.  

He, in His fullness, is the Great Composer of our souls, moving us in and out of seasons, giving and taking away. Using both space and melody, He composes our lives into a symphony far more dynamic and beautiful than we ever could have written for ourselves.

Admittedly, we can’t always hear the music that is being written in us. Sometimes, the people around us can hear the song more easily than we can. It’s then that we need our friends to sing it for us and sing it to us.

In a hymn such as “Be Still My Soul,” in both space and melody, we are instructed in the practice of silence and the symphony of grace. We are encouraged to “be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7). And we are invited to “begin the song of praise.”

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Sandra McCracken is a singer, songwriter and producer from Nashville, TN. Over the course of nine critically acclaimed studio albums, Sandra has developed a body of work that encompasses hook-driven melodic pop, No Depression-style Americana, contemporary recastings of classic hymns, and even children’s music as part of the Nashville alt-folk super-group Rain For Roots. Her new album, Psalms, was released this spring.

Be Still My Soul
words by Ka­tha­ri­na A. von Schle­gel, 1752
trans by Jane L. Borth­wick, 1855

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.

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: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale 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.

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 blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.