Be Still My Soul
A Bible Study for Women using the authorized King James Bible, the only inerrant Word of God
By Patricia Dowers
Introduction
Christians are action verbs. What do I mean by that? We do, go, serve, fight, labor, and many other activities that mark our lives for our Lord Jesus Christ. We do it willingly, with boldness but sometimes, with fear and trepidation. The Lord promises to supply courage and strength and all that is needed to accomplish our tasks for Him (Phil. 4:19). We must remember, however, that in God's perfect, all-encompassing plan for each believer, as well as His entire creation, there are times when He tells us to be still. As we shall see, sometimes it is harder to be still than to keep moving, spending energy on fruitless activity. How do we know when the Lord wants us to step out in faith or watch as He rewards our faith in Him? I hope you will join me in this intriguing study of times when we need to be still and watch our amazing God in action or just wait on His perfect timing.
Please note: In this study, as in all others, it is important to read all Scripture references for yourself that you may know what God has to say.
Session I
Humans have never seen the full power of God in action because, like every other attribute of God, it is infinite. Man and woman were not present to witness the awesome power of God during creation because they were created last. We have the Bible's description of the creation formed from nothing but the spoken word of the Creator. Beyond that, we must use our finite imagination which is immensely inadequate. We also read of the power of the fury of God when He destroyed the sinful world in the worldwide flood. We see today the marks and scars of the damaged earth caused by the weight of billions of gallons of water. Science tells us that water is the most powerful element on earth. Nothing can tame it and yet so many of God's miracles involve manipulating water. Why is that? Because the thing created is never better or stronger than the One Who created it (Rom. 9:20). Let us look at some of the miracles. Please read these Scripture references together with your group and briefly describe the scene:
Gen. 7:17-21
Exo. 14:13; 21-23; 29-31
Josh 3:14-17
Matt. 8:23-27
Matt. 14:22-33
The Lord knows it is often our tendency to search for our own solutions before seeking Him. The Bible tells us this is folly and a waste of time and energy. It is also disrespectful to the God we serve. Isa. 55:8 reminds us, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord". Israel gave us many examples of looking to their allies for help before trusting God. Let us look at Isa. 30:15 for God's response to this disobedience. Please read this verse aloud with your group and answer the questions below.
How will Israel be saved?
Where is there strength?
What was the sad response?
In the last phrase of this verse we hear how much this disobedience hurts the heart of God. We need to be diligent not to avoid this in our own lives. Psa. 81:10-13 reveals the broken heart of God as He speaks of the disobedience and impatience of the children of Israel in the wilderness. Please read this portion with your group and discuss situations that may bring us to a similar place with the Lord and how to avoid it. You may jot your notes in the space below
King David was sometimes a very impetuous king, quick to march off to battle or make rash decisions, even though God would often reveal His power when David waited on Him. The Psalms are full of the Lord's reminders to wait on Him. Psalm 46 is a beautiful Psalm that was probably written to be sung. Please read this with your group. In verse 10, what are three reasons the Lord would have us be still?
1.
2.
3.
King Jehoshaphat learned the same lesson much later in II Chronicles. When facing an insurmountable enemy, he was told to stand still. The Lord loves to show His power in such a way that there is no doubt that He is Almighty God, in complete control. Please read II Chron. 20:14-19 and 27.
In v.15 what was King Jehoshaphat told?
In v. 17 what was Judah told to do in order to see the salvation of the Lord?
In vs. 18 and 19 what did Jehoshaphat and Judah do in response?
Please join me in the next session to discover some practical ways we can learn to be still and wait on the Lord.
Session II
Sometimes it is the Lord's will for us to go, or do something as often it may be His will for us to be still and wait. How do we know the difference? There are important reasons why we must wait on the Lord. First of all, it is required for obedience. The Lord has a plan for each of our lives. We do not need to wait until we understand the full plan. It may only be revealed a little at a time but it will be revealed if we wait on the Lord's timing. Young people contemplating college and future careers and especially marriage, will only have the blessing of the Lord if they wait on His direction first. Christians who are offered employment change or considering moving to a new location and/or a new church also need the blessing of the Lord.
Stepping out on our own can be disastrous if it means stepping out of the will of God. As we each become members of the Body of Christ by faith in Jesus Christ Who shed His own blood on the cross in our place (the only way to salvation and acceptance by God), we become an integral part of God's plan for this world (Rom. 6:4). If we are dead to self and alive in Him we no longer have a plan of our own, only His Plan. Therefore, it only makes sense that we wait for our "marching orders". Still, we grow impatient waiting. Especially when our own desires get the better of us. Let us look at examples in Scripture when men and women grew impatient waiting on the Lord. Please read the following passages and answer the questions below.
Gen. 15: 2-5: 16: 1-6. What was God's promise and plan to Abraham?
Who got tired of waiting and developed her own plan?
What was the result of that plan to not wait on the Lord?
Sarai thought she had a good plan but the result of not waiting on the Lord's plan brought personal heartache and trouble for generations to come.
Please read Exo. 32: 1-6 aloud with your group. Why were the Israelites impatient?
What was their plan?
Please continue reading Exo. 7-10 How did the Lord respond to this disobedience?
Moses intervened for his people and God did not destroy them but we can see that God takes not waiting as sin with serious consequences.
This next passage appears on the surface as a simple example of not waiting on the Lord. We shall see, however, it saddened Jesus in His hour of greatest need. Please read Matt. 26: 36-43 aloud with your group.
What did Jesus ask of his disciples?
What did they do in response?
What was Jesus' heartfelt reponse to Peter?
Our Lord is not only a holy God Who must be obeyed, but also a loving God Who is capable of feeling all of the undeserved heartache we inflict on Him every day with what we consider insignificant disobediences. If, as a believer, I say I love my Lord, then I do not want to be so careless with sin that hurts His heart. I pray you can make this resolution with me to ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to be mindful of this sin.
Being still and waiting on the Lord shows Him that we are trusting him. Do we equate our impatience with God as not trusting Him? We should. Martha, in the New Testament, learned this lesson when she believed that because Jesus did not hurry to help Lazarus, he died. You can find this account in John 11:1-44. Jesus challenged her faith by bringing Lazerus back to life. Our Lord does not respond the same way every time. He must still fulfill His plan. If we trust that He can only do good for us then we know we can wait for His goodness.
This is a good time to discuss the benefits of waiting on the Lord. Jeremiah was a prophet who experienced many hardships and sorrows in his life-long walk of obedience to God. In the book of the Lamentations of Jeremiah there is a passage that sums up his walk with his Lord.
Please read Lam. 3:21-26 aloud with your group and copy verses 25 and 26 in the space below.
From the time that David was anointed king over Israel until the time he actually took the throne, he was plagued by one adversity after another. This was due to the ruthless jealousy of King Saul, his predecessor. David was impetuous by nature and did not always wait on the Lord's direction. When he did, it resulted in some beautiful psalms of trust, loving care, wisdom, and Godly assurance. One of these is Psalm 4. It is very short but very encouraging. Please read it aloud with your group.
In verse 1 how do we know that David is trusting his Lord?
In v.2 how do we know David's impatience?
In v.3 how do we know that David believes God has a plan for him?
In vs. 4 and 5 what are the instructions for waiting on the Lord?
In vs. 6 and 7 what is David's testimony to the world?
Finally, in v. 8 what is David's reward.
In the next session we will explore ways to learn patience from Scripture rather than having to learn from bad choices in life.
Session III
For many of us, myself included, patience is not part of our nature. In fact, I have not known anyone who exhibited patience on a regular basis. Patience is a learned quality and for many the learning is a life long process. How do we as believers achieve the patience required for waiting on the Lord? The simple answer is that we cannot unless we learn patience from the Lord. Rom. 15:5 calls Him the "God of patience". If we are to learn patience, we must learn it from the Master Who wills that we exceed in all Godly attributes. The difficulty is not with our Teacher. The difficulty is with His pupils. We are forgetful learners. But the God of all patience is willing to teach us over and over again. Praise the Lord He never tires of us.
Often we learn patience in difficulty. As we learned in the last session, the Lord wants us to remember that patience equals trust. There is no difficulty or trial where the Lord is not in control. We need to trust Him and wait on His direction. Thankfully, as our heavenly Father, He is more than willing to listen to our frustration as long as we do not attempt to strike out on our own. Let us look at some examples of heartfelt waiting on the Lord. Please read the following verses aloud with your group and answer the questions below.
Psa. 130: 5 Where is our hope while we wait for the Lord?
Psa. 40:17 What assurances do we have in our need?
Psa. 77:7-12 What does it help to remember while waiting for the Lord's answer?
Psa.139:23-24 What should we continually ask of the Lord while waiting on His deliverance?
As we can see, the Lord gives us every tool needed to build patience including venting to Him in our weakness and frustration. We should never for a moment believe that delay means He is not hearing or paying attention. He is a big God with a big plan and my part in it is just as important to Him as any other person's. Also, God's perfect time is the right time. Why would we settle for anything less?
There is a portion of Scripture in Isaiah that is a favorite of mine. It reads like a news bulletin and is an important reminder we must not forget. It is not just a reminder but a promise we can count on in this life and into the next. Please read Isa. 40: 28-31 aloud with your group and answer the questions below.
What are the attributes of God listed in v. 28? I count five.
In v. 29 to whom does He give power?
In v. 31 who receives the final promise?
Please copy verse 31 in the space below. It contains some beautiful word pictures!
It is critically important to be sure while we are waiting on the Lord's direction that we are not regarding iniquity in our hearts (Psa. 66:18). Any unconfessed sin or willful disobedience that we harbor will prevent the Lord moving forward with us until it is dealt with. We must pay attention and obey the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It is His job to help us sweep our hearts and minds clean of any thought or act that puts up a barrier between us and our Lord. Please read the following verses in James and answer the questions below.
James 4: 7,8 To Whom must we submit?
Who must we resist?
In v. 10 What must we do?
What will the Lord do?
In v. 17 When do we sin?
If our hearts are clean before the Lord and we are waiting for an answer to prayer or a direction for our lives then He delights in responding. The Lord often uses the example of an earthly father giving gifts to his children to illustrate how much more He, our Heavenly Father, is willing to bestow on us (Luke 11:11-13). Just as an earthly parent sometimes tells us we must wait, so the Lord has the same expectation but always with a promise of a good result. Again, we must trust Him. He is God and He can only do good. Even if we cannot see it in this lifetime, we have the promise of the next lifetime which is eternal. My mind can hardly conceive of only good and no evil for all eternity but God has promised that to us who believe. That thought alone helps me to wait with patience!
In the book of Acts we find the Apostle Paul meeting and mentoring a young Christian man named Timothy. I and II Timothy contain two letters with a wealth of instruction to this young man who was destined to become a preacher during very perilous times. The Bible tells us Paul loved Timothy like a son. Paul had a very personal interest in arming Timothy with as many godly attributes as possible knowing his own time was limited. In II Timothy we read of Paul impressing on Timothy the need to wait on the Lord. Please read II Tim. 2:24 and 25 together with your group and answer the questions below.
In v. 24 what must the servant of the Lord not do?
When we get ahead of the Lord we are not demonstrating patience!
What are the three attributes we must demonstrate?
These instructions have the effect of calming our hearts and making us a witness of the Lord before others at the same time. This allows the Lord to use us mightily.
In v. 25 how are we to instruct those who oppose themselves?
Remember that the definition of meekness is strength under control. Often this is also the definition of being still and waiting on the Lord.
Please join me in the next session where we explore the rewards of being still before God.
Session IV
There are many wonderful rewards for believers in being still and waiting on the Lord. There is such rest and peace in letting someone else take over the reins, especially when that Someone is the Lord our Savior. Some of us, however, find it very difficult to relinquish control. There may be many reasons for this such as a naturally controlling personality, lack of trust in the abilities of others, or the hurt we experience when disappointed by someone we love.
We cannot transfer our fear of trust to the Savior Who has never let anyone down. After all, are we not trusting Him for our salvation? Of course we can trust Him, so let us look at what the Lord has for us in waiting on him. It is so much more than just learning patience, although for me, that would be reward enough!
Please read Eph. 3:17-19 with your group and answer the questions below.
In v.17 what must we be for Christ to establish our faith to trust Him?
In my mind, this implies a tree, standing firm and solid, waiting for the nourishment that comes from above.
In v. 18 what are we able to comprehend while we stand firm?
In v.19 what wonderful experience do we know when we are grounded?
When we are in motion doing whatever task is at hand, we are usually focused on that task. Often someone will speak to us and we do not hear. The Lord wants us to be focused and mindful of the work we do for Him but first we must wait for instruction. We must first be still and focus on Him. In I Thes. there is a promise attached to being quietly focused on Jesus. Please read I Thes. 4:11 and 12 with your group. What is the promise at the end of v. 12?
This is a promise for this world. We do not need to wait for the next. What security we have in Jesus!
Psalm 112:7 and 8 are two verses that describe benefits of a heart fixed in the Lord.
In v. 7, what shall he not fear?
In v.8, what will he see?
I believe Isa. 26:3 is a verse that wraps around us like a warm quilt! Please read it aloud with your group and copy it in the space below.
This is an excellent verse to memorize so that you can draw on its strength when needed or share with others.
The Psalmist David, expresses himself so beautifully in all the circumstances of his life. I believe everyone can relate to David in his mountaintop experiences of joy and victory, as well as his deep valleys of sin and depression. He had a tendency to thrust out under his own steam bringing about the chastisement of the Lord. David's love and trust in his God was deep, however, and he knew when he needed to quiet himself before the Lord in repentance and humility. We have so many lessons to learn from David and we see one in Psa. 62. Please read Psa. 62: 5-8 aloud with your group.
In v.5 Why does David's soul wait only on God?
In verses 6-8 David lists some of the reasons, benefits and rewards of waiting on the Lord.
Please copy them below.
in V.6
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
in V.7
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
in v. 8
(1)
One of the best, and most immediate benefits of being still before the Lord is that it quiets the weary soul. The Lord knows we need that from time to time. When we resist it is like an unruly child refusing to take a nap when in reality, it is what he craves and needs. We never want to resist our Lord when there is so much good He wants to lavish on us.
Below you will find a hymn written in German in 1752 and translated to English in 1855. It is sung to the beautiful music of Finlandia and very familiar, but for our purposes in this study, please ask someone in your group to read the lyrics as a poem so that you can especially pay attention to the comfort of the words.
Be Still My Soul
Author: Kathrina von Schlegel (1752); Translator: Jane Borthwick (1855)
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.
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 shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.
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: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning 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.
Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well-pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.
I pray you will join me in making a concerted effort to spend time in quietness, waiting on the Lord and that you can say with me...
be still my soul.