Be Still

"Be still my soul: the Lord is on your side
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still my soul: your best, your heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end."

I cannot tell you how often this hymn runs through my mind. When I'm riding on the metro or in the grocery store, looking into the eyes of hurting hopeless people, I have the urge to look them in the eye and say, "Excuse me, but did you know that the God of all creation is on your side?". What a tragedy that He is and they just don't know it.

Have you ever been all alone and facing something difficult, maybe even life changing? Were you ever ganged up on as a kid by other kids and wished you had one friend beside you? Have you ever known the pain of realizing that your lonliness and the mess in your life was of your own making? Have you ever known the joy of someone coming to your rescue and realizing that there was at least one person on your side?

I can't help but think of a woman the Bible talks about and how she discovered that God was on her side. (John 8:1-11) She was caught in a terrible sinful act. She was brought into the temple, her sin announced and exposed to everyone there (including the Son of God Himself) as she stood before them. She must have known that she was being used to trap Jesus. Her sin was meant to discredit Him and make Him look bad. She stood there humiliated, guilty, worthy of death, alone, no words and no one to defend her, face to face with Jesus. That's when the unthinkable happened. She and everyone there discovered that, in spite of the fact that she was guilty and didn't deserve it, Jesus was on HER side. After silencing her accusers and sending them away, He asked her, "Where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?" "No one sir", she must have said with disbelief. "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin." Forgiveness first, change second. The one who deserved death walked away forgiven and restored!

"Be still my soul; your God will undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Your hope, your 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."

I pray that today, regardless of what you are facing and what you deserve, your soul will be still and know that He is on your side. I pray that nothing would shake your confidence or your hope. I pray that your accusers would be silenced, even if they are coming from inside of your own accusing mind and heart.

I pray that we would know the peace of having a mighty God who is always on our side!

Angela