This hymn represents multitude periods of history from when
it was first written to its final arrival in the United States in the early
1900s. It is always amazing when a hymn from different periods of time finds
life and purpose in the present.
Germany, in the late 1600s and early 1700s was largely
Lutheran and was experiencing a religious revival known as the Pietistic
Revival. Philipp Jacob Spener was the leader of this movement, which encouraged
small Bible study groups, personal works of righteousness and congregational
hymn singing. The Pietists also encouraged laymen in the church to express
their devotion by writing hymn texts that were subjective, emotional and more
expressive than traditional Orthodox Church music had been to that time.
Katharina’s last name, von Schlegel, indicates that she was
likely born to an aristocratic family. She was Lutheran and may have been
canonist of an evangelical women’s seminary, but apart from that, not much is
known of Katharina. One fact though is certain: She knew her Scriptures well, both
the Old and the New Testaments.
She was born in Köthen, Germany, in 1697, twelve years after
Johann Sebastian Bach was born 80 miles away in Eisenach. Though Bach was not
born in her town, he did serve six years in the court of Prince Leopold of
Anhalt-Köthen from the time Katharina was 20 years old until she was 25. Some
believe that Katharina was also attached to the court and therefore may
have known the brilliant organist and composer.
Katharina was a poetess, and her first known published work
was “Stille, mein Wille, dein Jesus hilft siegen” in 1752. In her hymn, she
wove together in a creative and remarkable way a whole series of scriptural
themes and references to biblical events.
No record survives of the specific event(s) that inspired
her to compose this deeply moving hymn. But such specifics aren’t necessary
since we all experience the kind of devastating losses she writes about. And
when they come, we often find ourselves enduring an internal hurricane of
disorienting grief, in desperate need of the peaceful shelter of hope. And the
gift Katharina has bequeathed to us — in the four verses most English hymnals
contain (she wrote six) — is this profound poetic reminder of the one shelter
for our sorrowful, storm-tossed souls: the faithfulness of God.
One hundred years after its first publication in the German
language, “Stille, mein Wille, dein, Jesus hilft siegen” was translated into
English by Jane L. Borthwick in Scotland and published in “Hymns from the Land
of Luther, Series 2,” which Jane and her sister Sarah Borthwick Findlater
jointly prepared, titled in English, “Be Still, My Soul.” This hymn was
originally sung to several other tunes, none of which were a lasting
combination.
Borthwick, born in the 1800s, was a member of the Free
Church of Scotland and second only to Catherine Winkworth in bringing the
riches of German hymn heritage to the English language. Her translation
included five of the original six stanzas, appearing in “Hymns from the
Land of Luther, second series” (1855).
The melody comes from a symphonic tone poem by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) by the name of "FINLANDIA," Op. 26. Sibelius wrote it as a patriotic offering in 1899 with a revision in 1900. This composition was performed as the final of seven pieces as the music to accompany a series of tableaus, each reflecting portions of Finnish history.
Sibelius was born in Finland in 1865. He later changed his
name to reflect the French form of Johann and was known thereafter as Jean
Sibelius. He was also the composer for many orchestral works, including seven
symphonies.
In the early 1900s, David Evans, a Welsh Oxford-trained
organist-choirmaster and music professor, matched the translation with the tune
for the Revised Church Hymnary (London, 1927). This pairing was
brought to the United States when it was used in the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
for The Hymnal (1933).
Studylight.org, Dr. Constable's Expository Notes: The writer gave personal testimony to God’s deliverance of him in answer to prayer . . . Since God was with him, he did not need to fear what other people might do to him. Furthermore, the Lord would be his helper, so he could expect to prevail over his adversaries. Therefore, it is better to trust in Yahweh than to place one’s confidence in men, even the most powerful of men . . . The LORD is on my side: The never-ending mercy of God was shown by God’s open favor and help to the one who called upon Him. Knowing God was on his side, he could live free from the fear of man, knowing what can man do to me?
Biblehub.com, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: The psalmist here sets forth God’s dominion in the kingdom of nature. In the thunder, and lightning, and storm, we may see and hear His glory. Let our hearts be thereby filled with great, and high, and honorable thoughts of God, in the holy adoring of whom, the power of Godliness so much consists. O Lord our God, Thou art very great! The power of the lightning equals the terror of the thunder. The fear caused by these effects of the Divine power, should remind us of the mighty power of God, of man’s weakness, and of the defenseless and desperate condition of the wicked in the day of judgment. But the effects of the Divine Word upon the world of men, under the power of the Holy Spirit, are far greater than those of thunderstorms in the nature world . . . If we have heard God’s voice and have fled for refuge to the hope set before us, let us remember that children need not fear their Father’s voice, when He speaks in anger to His enemies. While those tremble who are without shelter, let those who abide in His appointed refuge bless Him for their security, looking forward to the day of judgment without dismay, safe as Noah in the ark.
Dailyverse.knowing-Jesus.com: The Scriptures are filled with lovely examples of the tender compassion that God extends to the people of Israel and to those that are part of the Body of Christ corporately . . . Is there a more beautiful illustration of the Lord’s great tenderness and His gracious mercies towards each of His children, to you and to me, than is seen in the intimacy that is glimpsed in this lovely Psalm? For we read that the Lord takes account of all our sadness and all our pain, all our weariness and all our wanderings, all the salty teardrops that flow from our eyes and all the silent groans that rend the inner parts of our secret being. Indeed, we read in this precious verse that He has collected every single teardrop that has wet our lashes and recorded every single silent groan of our hurting heart, and He has placed each single tear in His bottle of remembrance and recorded each hurt in His book, because of His great love for each of His own . . . Remember, He has scheduled every day of our lives and knows the tears that will result from the afflictions of His people. Our times are in His Hands and we have a God who knows and loves and cares for everything that causes His children pain. Not even in these times of deep sadness and distress, we can, like Our Savior, gain a closer intimacy with our Father through the things that we suffer in obedience to His Will.
Dailyverse.knowing-Jesus.com: There cannot be a clearer picture of what takes place when the trumpet call of God blasts out at the end of the Church age. The Lord Jesus Himself will come down from heaven with a loud word of command. There will be an archangel’s voice and the trumpet call of God . . . Let us occupy in the work that God has prepared for us to do and encourage one another as we see the day getting closer. But let us also remain alert and ready for that wonderful day when the trump of God sounds, and we are taken as He promised, to be with the Lord forever.
Enduringword.com, David Guzik: The manner in which Jesus will gather us to Himself is impressive. But the main point is that whatever the state of the Christians (dead or alive) at the Lord’s coming, they will always be with the Lord. This is the great reward of heaven – to be with Jesus. Death can’t break our unity with Jesus or with other Christians.
This hymn was reportedly the favorite of Eric Liddell, the athlete who became famous in the 1924 Olympics for refusing to run on the Sabbath. He later became a missionary in China and was imprisoned during World War II. He is said to have taught this hymn to others in the prison camp where he died.
