Great Women of Faith: Anne Steele (1717–1778)
- Shelsea Becker
- Nov 13, 2025
- 3 min read
Written by Shelsea Becker
“Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul”
“Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise;
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies.
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone canst heal;
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief
For every pain I feel.”
— Anne Steele, 1760
These deeply rich lyrics were penned by one of the most remarkable hymn writers in church history—Anne Steele.
By the age of three, she lost her mother. She spent much of her life battling chronic illness, suffered a serious injury after being thrown from a horse at nineteen, and at twenty-one, lost her fiancé to drowning. Yet despite such loss, Anne was known for her cheerful disposition.
How could this be?
Through her writings—144 hymns, 48 psalms, and 50 poems—we see evidence of a woman who had a walking, talking relationship with Jesus. She wrestled, she praised, she cried, and she rejoiced. Even after being bedridden for the last nine years of her life, her final words were filled with unshakable faith:
“I know that my Redeemer liveth.”
“Dear Refuge…”
Immediately, she calls the Lord her “Dear refuge.”
My mind goes to Psalm 91:2:
“I will say of the Lord, ‘You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”
A refuge is a place of protection—a safe shelter from danger or distress.
Oh, how often I find myself curling up under the shadow of the Almighty when my soul grows weary and exasperated. Do you have those moments when anxiety, fear, or grief rise up and you don’t know what to do with them? Before you realize it, they’ve made themselves at home in your heart.
Anne reminds us where to take them:
“On Thee.”
On Thee, Jesus—who bore every sorrow on the cross.
On Thee, the One who says, “Cast all your cares on Me.”
When trouble arrives, when relationships fracture, when spirits are crushed—go to the Lord. On Thee.
Only then can your fainting, fragile soul find hope.
Without hope, there is no joy.
And without hope… can there truly be faith?
“To Thee I Tell Each Rising Grief…”
In the next stanza, Anne invites us to talk to Jesus.
To tell Him everything—every fear, disappointment, and heartache.
Speak to Him as if He were sitting across the table from you at a coffee shop.
You can trust Him with your concerns, your deferred dreams, your heartbreaks, your deepest wounds—because He alone can heal what no one else can touch.
Not only is Anne teaching us to pray, but she gently points us to where healing continues:
“Thy Word can bring a sweet relief…”
Scripture tells us that the Word of God never returns void. We must not only read it but devour it—meditate on it, memorize it, and share it.
God’s Word holds everything we need for every emotion and circumstance we face.
I’m reminded of John 1:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
And of Psalm 119:105:
“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Anne’s Invitation to Us
Proclaim who God is
Cast your cares on Him
Pray and tell Him everything
Read His Word faithfully
“Thy mercy seat is open still;
Here let my soul retreat.
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet.”
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