Focus on all the things you can do and not what you can’t, for we know we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Welcome to Joni and Friends, where we love to sing, and you’re welcome to sing this beautiful hymn with me …
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
You know, there are a lot of things I cannot do – so many things. And it’s why I have to sing this song, "Be Still, My Soul." ‘Cause there’s a lot my body can't do. I can't walk; I can't bend; I cannot lift things; I cannot hold the hand of my husband; stoop down to pick something off the floor. I can't stretch, can't skip or run. But many a time my soul has been stilled – “Be Still My Soul” – and it's been quieted through watching others who cannot do the same. Listening to others, learning from others who trust the Lord Jesus despite what they cannot do with their bodies. And this is how I feel about a woman named Zuella who wrote beautiful poems many years ago. Zuella sat in her wheelchair, disabled by severe arthritis. There were many things she could not do, like me. And I don't know, as I read this poem maybe your soul will be stilled and quieted, if there are things you cannot do. Because just listen and learn from Zuella, this woman who years ago wrote a poem called "Submission.”
I cannot walk as others do, O'er earth's grass tufted sod;
But oh, in spirit I can walk, As Enoch did, with God
I cannot run through field and lane, Or shaded woodland dim;
But oh, with patience I can run, The race of life with Him.
I cannot scale as others do, Your mountain's lofty height;
But I can soar above the world, By faith, to realms of light.
I cannot sail to distant lands, To serve my Savior there;
But from my wheelchair I can hold, The heathen up in prayer.
I shall not weep nor mourn my loss, Nor try to understand;
But smiling, I will lift my face to God, And do the things I can.
You know, I’m convicted every time I read that poem. I’m convicted to do the things I can, and not focus so much on the things I cannot do. And that is what stills my soul. So, friend, take a little bit of encouragement from this precious sister in the Lord, Zuella, and take encouragement from this beautiful hymn, “Be Still My Soul.”
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain
Leave to God to order and provide
In every change He faithful will remain
So, today, don't look at the things you can’t do. Look at the things you can. Do not mourn what you cannot put your hands to. Instead look at the things you can do for you can do all things through Jesus Christ who today strengthens you. What a promise from God’s Word. What a testimony from Zuella with her arthritis in her wheelchair. And what beautiful reminders we have from this hymn, “Be Still My Soul.”
© Joni and Friends