A few days ago, a dear friend of mine sent me an encouraging message. She said that one of the things that has helped her deal with the trials in her life has been to listen to uplifting worship songs. I have a playlist of my go-to songs that I always listen to, but lately we’ve been so busy with the move and settling into our new “normal”, that I just haven’t had a chance to listen. That, plus my kids are obsessed with this annoyingly catchy song appropriately called “The Catchy Song”. One of the lines that gets repeated over a million times is, “this song’s gonna get stuck inside your head”, and that song delivers as promised because that song has this uncanny ability of getting stuck inside my head. Go figure!
And quite by accident, Shelby was going through some songs on iTunes and one of them was the old hymn, “Be Still My Soul”. I haven’t heard that song in ages and so while I knew the tune, I had forgotten most of the lyrics…such beautiful lyrics:
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 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 the waves and winds shall know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt belowBe Still My Soul by Katharina Von Schlegel
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
Each word is dripping with such rich hope and truth. It may now be my new favorite song, but I just can’t get past that first line.
Be still my soul the Lord is on thy side
Recently, I have been wondering whether we are somehow being punished because of all the series of unfortunate events we have been through lately. I feel a little bit like a modern-day Job because of the things we have been through over the past few years. Rejection, spiritual abuse, job loss, illness, death, and so on. Perhaps we made a wrong choice or decision previously that in effect has caused God to turn His back on us.
I’ve prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139: 23-24). But nothing extraordinarily vile or contemptuous stands out. Only that even my righteous is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) and so I must cling to the mercy and grace that only Christ can offer me. That it is only through His blood alone that I am redeemed and can stand faultless before the throne.
So, to hear that the Lord is on my side, makes me weep. Weep tears of reassurance that God has not abandoned me. That He is there like a strong tower that I can run into to protect me from the tempestuous storms of life. He is my refuge and strength; He will never leave nor forsake me; He is for me, not against me.
When Satan’s lies get stuck inside my head like that catchy song, I need to switch stations and hold fast to the promise that the Lord is ALWAYS on my side.