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.

I am not sure, but I think (long ago) I believed that following Christ would mean no more trouble or least less trouble!  Having walked with Jesus through 74 or years I still believe that!

This is the fourth verse of one of my favorite hymns, speaking again of how important it is to speak to my soul!  I seldom hear this kind of language!  “Be still, my soul.”  What is my soul and how can I speak to it like, “Stop fussing!”  I did not grow up with this reality – me telling my soul to be still when it gets unsettled.  When things go wrong for me I fret.  That is a far cry from being still.  So, I waver between believing and not really believing.

I see in this verse of song a deep lesson that I believe I am slowly learning.  To begin with, it provides a context – the reminder that I will be forever with the Lord!  So why get so in a lather about things that will surely pass?  My vision must fasten on Jesus, my daily friend and eternal God.

Disappointments, grief, fear and sorrow will be “forgot,” overcome by joy restored.  So, my soul, mind, and imagination, the time is coming, surely, when tears are passed, when we are with our Lord forever.

“All safe and blessed.”

Bless the author of our hymn who lived in the early 1700’s, Catharina von Schlegel.  Bless her heart for sharing her faith with us.