It Is Well With My Soul
When peace like a river...
In my September 2023 article titled, “In the Beginning,” I wrote about the beloved hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul,” and the events that preceded the creation of this timeless song.
(Photo Credit: Madelyn H Photo, LLC)
The following is an expanded version of that article:
One of the most remarkable characteristics of humankind is the ability to create from a place of darkness, as “beauty for ashes” (Isaiah 61:3). In our fallen humanity, we will encounter darkness in all its shapes and forms—death, loss, scarcity, disease, oppression, pain, cruelty, and pure evil. But even in the midst of our personal, societal, or global darkness, we have the ability to create something of value that inspires or enlightens others. And in this victory, we glorify our Creator in heaven.
Horatio G. Spafford’s personal story of creating beauty in the worst of circumstances exemplifies this truth.
By 1870, Spafford had reached the pinnacle of personal and professional success as a husband, father of five, and an attorney and real estate investor in Chicago. But in 1871, he and his wife Anna lost their son to an illness, as well as most of their investments in the Great Fire of Chicago, which decimated much of the city into a pile of ashes and rubble. In 1873, tragedy struck again, when Spafford’s wife Anna and their four daughters were en route to England via a transatlantic steamship, the S.S. Ville du Havre, when another vessel collided into it, killing more than 200 people, include all four of the couple’s daughters.
In one of the most heart-wrenching moments of this ordeal, Anna sent a telegram to her husband from England that began:
“Saved alone.”
Shortly thereafter, Spafford traveled to England, and while aboard his ship, he wrote the timeless words to a song which comforts so many in their suffering, even today:
‘When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea-billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to know;
It is well, it is well with my soul.’
Together with Philip P. Bliss’ remarkable tune, in 1876, these words were published as the lyrics to one of the most enduring hymns of the Christian songbook, “It Is Well With My Soul.”
Spafford and his wife went on to have three more children, one of whom also died tragically. In 1881, the couple moved to Jerusalem, where they helped establish an American colony and spent the rest of their lives.
No matter the hardship he endured, Spafford’s song is a testament of everlasting hope in the darkness, through trust in God.
Scripture for Meditation: “He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted … to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:1-3)
Listen here:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/it-is-well-with-my-soul/1748755270?i=1748755277
https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0D5D1HHTN
Select Links:
https://www.thetabernaclechoir.org/articles/it-is-well-with-my-soul.html?lang=eng
Cover Photography Credit: Madelyn H Photo, LLC
© Stephanie Bento, House of Riverenza, 2024.