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.
You have probably heard and sung those words: It is well, it is well with my soul. Do those words accurately describe your attitude? It is not always well with my soul and I know it is not always well with your soul You want your soul to feel well, but it is often in anguish!
A scan of headlines makes it worse. War in Ukraine. Human trafficking here at home. And if the border crisis wasn’t bad enough, throw fentanyl into the mix. Yet it is not just what is happening to others. You have had people gossip and lie about you. You have real problems in your life and family and relationships. We all struggle with our personal demons. We have good reason to say, “It is NOT well with my soul!” Who wrote that hymn anyway?
In the 1800’s Horatio Spafford was a successful Chicago lawyer, a rich man with many real estate holdings. But wealth is fleeting and the great Chicago fire of 1871 wiped out much of Spafford’s wealth. He and his wife needed to get away and still had sufficient resources for a good vacation, so they planned a trip to Europe. When the time came to set out on their vacation, some last minute business detained Mr. Spafford. He sent his wife and four daughters ahead of him on the S.S. Ville Du Havre. On November 22 disaster struck. The Ville Du Havre was struck by an English ship and sank almost immediately. The four daughters were lost. Only Mrs. Spafford survived from their family. When Horatio sailed across the Atlantic to join his grieving wife, the captain called him to the bridge and reported that they were at the place where the Ville Du Havre had gone down. Can you imagine the feelings? I can’t, but shortly thereafter Spafford wrote his famous words.
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.
Difficult times can prove to be times of special blessing. I’m not suggesting that we should enjoy the difficult times. In such times you are experiencing first-hand your sinful mortality. However, when you’re getting “crucified,” you get a better appreciation for the One who really was crucified. Jesus Christ knows what you go through. He went through that and much more. He took your sins and the sins of those who sin against you, he took all sins upon Himself and paid for them to God. Our Christian faith is knowing that in spite of the problems here on earth, we are promised glory with our Lord in heaven. Someday in glory “God will wipe away every tear our eyes” (Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 7:17). In spite of the cares of this world, it can indeed be well with your soul!
Think about that as you look at the rest of Mr. Spafford’s hymn.
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.
Refrain
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 trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for 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!
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.
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
A song in the night, oh my soul!
