It Is Well
Psalm 46:1: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
“When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.”
When we think of a man who has suffered beyond human capacity, we think of Job in the Bible and his unwavering faith in God. When tragedy hits, many times people lose their trust in God. They run the other way. They give up on truth. There’s another man whose heartbreaking tale shows us that despite anything that may happen to us in this life, God is truly our comforter in the midst of any storm.
Horatio G. Spafford was a lawyer in Chicago in the 1860’s. He was rich and successful, but also a prominent Christian that supported the efforts of famous preacher D.L. Moody. God was good to Horatio. He had four daughters and a son and was doing quite well for himself according to society’s standards. But in 1870 his world would start to fall apart.
At the age of four, Horatio’s son was killed by scarlet fever. A year later, fire struck the city of Chicago and wiped out all of Spafford’s real estate investments. I can only imagine the pain the family had suffered. Horatio decided to take his family on a trip to Europe for a vacation to get away from all the grief that they had encountered, and also it was a chance to help his friend D.L. Moody on the mission field.
The family traveled to New York to board a ship to England. Right before they were to leave Horatio got news from home about an important business development he had to take care of. He sent his family along to England while he returned to Chicago, planning to meet up with them after things were settled back home. Nine days later he received a telegram of devastating news.
The telegram from his wife said only two words, “Saved Alone.” The boat that carried his family to England had sunk and his four daughters didn’t survive. Horatio boarded the next ship out to be with his grieving wife.
I can’t imagine what Horatio must have felt and thought. He must have been overwhelmed with heartache. Tragedy after tragedy and here he was headed to England to meet his wife, the only one he had left. He could have blamed God in the situation. After all, he’d been a “good Christian”. But, Horatio did something profound instead. He wrote:
“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.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul!
It is well ... with my soul!
It is well, it is well, with my soul.”
This classic hymn has always been one of my favorites, but when I heard the story behind it, it meant even more to me. Life isn’t always easy. We go through struggles and hard times. Whatever trial may come your way, know that God is there for you
- geno
www.PutHimFirst.com
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