Be Still - Katharina Von Schlegel

1697-CA. 1768

We don’t know much about Katharina von Schlegel, author of the powerful hymn “Be Still, My Soul,” but we can connect some dots. She was born in 1697 and lived in the German town of Kothen, an independent territory ruled by a prince. Her name suggests she belonged to a noble family. The prince, a music lover, employed an up-and-coming organist named Johann Sebastian Bach from 1717 to 1723—so it’s possible that Katharina, a promising twentysomething poet with family connections, crossed paths with Johann at some palace function, though we have no record of it.

After the horrific devastation of the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48), Germany was certainly undergoing reconstruction. Whatever spiritual gains had been made in the Protestant Reformation of the 1500s must have been severely damaged in this religious struggle.

But along with the rebuilding came a quiet spiritual awakening known as Pietism. Beginning in the 1660s and continuing into the 1700s, certain writers and teachers were calling Christians to get serious about their faith. Following Jesus had to mean more than church membership. It involved a personal relationship with him, meditating on his words, being led by his Spirit into a life of obedience.

Katharina von Schlegel lived just a few miles from Halle, a major center of the Pietist movement, so she might have had some connection there. A number of new hymns were used in Pietist churches, including many of Schlegel’s twenty-nine works.

Only one of these is commonly used in English translation:

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 heav’nly Friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Sung to the dramatic tune “Finlandia,” the hymn seems to rise up from the ashes in hope. We may be devastated by war or other disasters, but we can rest secure in our loving Lord. In times of crisis, we’re often tempted to do something, to get busy, to try anything to fix the situation. But the way of faith is patient. We can quiet our hearts before God and trust him “to order and provide.”

Be still, and know that I am God! . . . I will be honored throughout the world.

Psalm 46:10