It Is Well With My Soul

In recent weeks there has been a song that has been on my mind quite a bit. It was encouraging to think on its lyrics when we received the news that my grandma's twin sister was failing. Those last days were filled with precious times to remember. The special moments we had alone with her, reading comforting Bible verses to her, praying together, and, although my great-aunt was unable to speak, her gestures were telling us what she had been trying to communicate yet couldn't say in words: that she was trusting in nothing else, no one else, only Jesus as her Saviour. Trusting in Jesus removes the penalty of sin, the fear of death & eternal suffering of hell, and gives the assurance of God's promise of eternal life to believers. She is now with her Lord! The week following her promotion to glory, the hymn was sung at the funeral for the son of my father's good friend.

One thing that makes this song so dear to me, and seems to draw people especially during suffering, is that the author himself had trials of great sorrow within just a few years time. In this beautiful hymn, the writer attests that no matter the circumstances of life, with Jesus Christ as your Saviour, all can still be well with your soul. The history behind a song is always of interest to me, so, with the families of these dear ones in mind, I thought I'd share this one with you with the hope that all who read it will be comforted on their life's journey, too.

Horatio Spafford, a successful lawyer who invested heavily in real estate, and his wife, Anna, along with their five children, lived in Chicago, Illinois. With the help of Biblical teaching and preaching of his close friend Dwight L. Moody, he learned to live a life surrendered to God, and from that time forward, he committed everything he had into the Lord's care - his life, his family, and his earthly possessions.

A major time of grief came when their son passed away. His death was followed closely by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which left the Spaffords' financial state in ruins. Thereafter, he and his family made plans for an extended time in England, corresponding with Mr. Moody's evangelistic endeavors there (with whom they intended continuing their close friendship). However, last minute business hindered Horatio from leaving alongside his family. His wife and four daughters continued on ahead to England while he would follow shortly after to join them.

Anna and the girls set sail on the passenger liner Ville du Havre from New York. In mid-ocean, disaster struck when the Lochearn, an iron clipper, collided with their ship in the early morning hours on November 22, 1873. The Ville du Havre sank in just twelve minutes. That day 226 lives were lost at sea; the survivors of both vessels, totaling 172, were brought to Cardiff, Wales.

News reports reached the States of the tragedy, yet Horatio heard nothing about his family. Finally, nine days after the collision, Horatio received a brief message from his wife. "Saved alone. What shall I do..."

On the ocean voyage to be reunited with his wife, the vessel's captain approached Horatio to notify him that they were nearing the area where the Ville du Havre went down. As they passed through those mid-Atlantic waters where his four daughters left this earthly home, he penned the words to this well-known hymn, which no doubt was a comfort his wife also needed. Soon after he said, "On Thursday last we passed over the spot where she went down, in mid-ocean, the waters three miles deep. But I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs."

It Is Well With My Soul

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

It is well, (it is well)

With my soul, (with my soul)

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trails should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well, (it is well)

With my soul, (with my soul)

It is well, it is well with my soul.

My sin - oh, the bliss of this glorious thought -

My sin, not in part, but the whole -

Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, (it is well)

With my soul, (with my soul)

It is well, it is well with my soul.

And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,

The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,

"Even so" - it is well with my soul.

It is well, (it is well)

With my soul, (with my soul)

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Sometime later, he added verses that aren't commonly known, but still just as beautiful. When placed in their proper succession, these are considered the fourth and fifth verses:

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

The rest of the story: Mr. & Mrs. Spafford returned to Chicago where they raised 2 more daughters and another son, Horatio, Jr., whom they lost to scarlet fever in his childhood. The Spaffords journeyed to Jerusalem, and it was there that Mr. Horatio Spafford, Sr., passed on to his heavenly home.

Each and every verse of It Is Well With My Soul illustrates a little bit more of the comfort we have in Christ. The second and third verses clearly state why we can have that comfort and assurance.

Oh, this glorious, blessed assurance! Christ has seen our sinful condition. He willingly left His home in heaven to live a perfect life on earth, all with the purpose to shed His blood on the cross for us, then rise from the dead to conquer death. So if we will trust only in Him, all our sin is nailed to the cross for us to bear no more because He will save us. "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

This hymn is also a reminder to me of another precious truth. It is comforting to know that others who have experienced similar circumstances as our own understand what we are going through. Yet how much more so to know that Jesus Christ understands all that we are going through and more besides! He knows the pain, the suffering, the grief. We can take all our burdens and sorrows to Him, and He will take them upon Himself and sustain us.

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. ...who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Psalm 42:5, 11b