A breathtaking new hymn, “Peace, Peace, Be Still,” has joined the hymnbook. Similar in melody to “If You Could Hie to Kolob” and comforting like “Lead, Kindly Light,” this moving piece is one everybody needs to hear—and could soon become your congregation’s favorite.
The Story Behind the Hymn
Songwriter Sally DeFord wrote the lyrics to the hymn while she was recovering from hand surgery. The words brought her solace as she healed from the operation, and they continued to comfort her when her daughter received a devastating cancer diagnosis not long after.
“I think Heavenly Father sent me these words because He knew I would need them,” Sally said. Her daughter later passed away in 2022.
The song speaks of the overwhelming storms we face in life, including “rising tides of pain or grief.” But it also speaks to the Savior’s power to either calm our storms or to bring us peace as we endure them.
The beautiful second verse reflects this concept:
When before a rising tide of pain or grief I flee
The Lord will hear my anguished cry and haste to rescue me
For He can calm the tempest according to His will
Or come and bid my fearful heart, “Peace, peace, be still.”
Sally explains, “Sometimes life gets stormy, the Lord speaks and there’s a great calm—a calm that happens in our hearts even when the tempest continues around us. The winds are still blowing, but He’s giving us the ‘strength to stand before the gale.’”
A stunning arrangement of the hymn was performed by the Utah Valley Institute Singers at the 2021 Church Musical Festival. As intended by the composer, Katherine Wright, the music sounds like a “rising storm.” Its minor keys create a gorgeous, haunting melody, and its major finish sounds like sunshine breaking through.
The Beauty in the Storm
When I first heard the recording above, I was reminded of a Young Women lesson I had as a teenager.
One of our leaders gave each girl in the class a copy of a photograph—an image of an epic storm. The sky is filled with billowing clouds in various shades of gray, mixed with mist, rain, and faint sunlight. The land beneath the storm is a deep blue.
The picture, my leader explained, can represent the moments of light and dark that make up our lives. If our mortal experiences were pure sunshine and blue skies, the picture would be far less interesting. It’s the contrast of the colors that fills the photo (and earth life) with beauty, dimension, and depth.
“They Did Have Light Continually”
The Jaredites in the Book of Mormon lived out this metaphor literally: As they journeyed across the sea to the promised land, they experienced intense winds and waves. But the storms served a purpose and gave meaning to their voyage. Ether 6:8 reads, “And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind” (emphasis added).
The Savior didn’t stop the winds—they were essential in taking the barges where they needed to go. In fact, the Jaredites may have drifted endlessly if there had been no bad weather. In our lives, storms may too push us to “promised lands” of perspective, growth, and closeness to God.
While recently ministering to Saints in Colombia following a devastating earthquake, Elder Stevenson said,
“In moments like this, sometimes we ask the question, ‘Why?’ Sometimes the answer is, ‘We don’t know why.’ We know that in mortality, there are trials and tribulations. We know that these experiences we have in life often lead us to a greater sense of compassion for others, a greater sense of knowledge and understanding, a greater sense of Christlike caring and service.”
Regardless of whether our storms are divinely sent or just symptoms of mortal life, the Savior will always give us light to guide us through.
As Ether 6:10 reads, “And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water.”
“Peace, Peace, Be Still” is a gorgeous testament to the Savior’s ability to provide peace in any storm, big or small. Through His Atonement, He can consecrate even the worst weather.
Access sheet music, arrangements, and more information about “Peace, Peace, Be Still” on the Church’s website.
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