Be Still, My Soul

 As I was praying today, the Lord reminded me of the recording of “Be Still My Soul” on Amy Grant’s Legacy album. It begins with a melancholy guitar solo called “Fields of Plenty,” and culminates with a voice-over poem.

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 will be bright at last.

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Delight yourselves in the Lord, yes, and find your joy in Him. 

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Be known for your gentleness and never forget the nearness of our God. 

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Don’t worry, whatever is going to come, just tell God every detail, and the peace of God that no one understands will come to you. 

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No, don’t worry, just tell Him every detail and His peace will come to you. 

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Peace is the calm assurance that Jesus knows what He’s doing. It is not related to our environment or circumstances. Peace is a gift, something Jesus gives. Through thankful, fervent prayer—articulating our burdens to Jesus—we exchange anxiety for peace. We seize His promises and assurances. 

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The peace of God is powerfully vigilant, for it literally guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We can imagine this peace as a fortress encircling us. It protects our mental, emotional, and spiritual health; our stability; our steadfastness; our confidence in God. 

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As we pray, we experience His peace, the walls grow taller and stronger, protecting us more and more. Peace guards our hearts, we live behind the safe protection of our fortress of peace. No matter what, ruling our hearts is the calm assurance that Jesus knows what He’s doing.

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Heavenly Father, God of peace, we ask You to wrap Your Loving Arms around us today. We pray You will guide us in the path of peace. Help us to pray with thanksgiving, to submit our requests and needs to You—and to leave them there. Forgive us for trying to carry our burdens on our own. You don’t want us to live in the clutches of anxiety; You want us to live freely, guarded by Your peace. Please flood and guard our hearts with peace. Remind us, Father, that peace is not the absence of problems in our lives, but the calm assurance that You know what You’re doing. You have never failed us, and You will never leave us or forsake us. We trust You, our confidence is in You. In the name of Your Son, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we pray, amen.

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Look Up—meditate on Philippians 4:6-7… pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

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Look In—as you meditate on Philippians 4:6-7  … pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."

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Look Out—as you meditate on Philippians 4:6-7 …pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.