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 beffet, through trials should come,
let this blest assurance control,
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate
and has shed his own blood for my soul
My sin O 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
O 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,
Even so it is well with my soul
This is my personal favorite hymn. Written in 1876 by Horatio G. Spofford, a once successful business man who lost his fortune in the Chicago fire of 1871. He did not feel sorry for himself or dwell on his losses but instead had rolled up his sleeves and got busy helping to rebuild the city and reaching out to those who had lost their homes in the fire. His only son had died just months before the fire. Truthfully, looking at his circumstance, one would feel like this was enough of a tragedy for one person in one lifetime. God saw it differently however, and in 1873 Horatio sent his family ahead of him to Europe where he planned to meet them at a later date. The ship his family was on was struck by another ship and sank. In under twelve minutes, 176 people drown to death including his four daughters. Miraculously, his wife survived and was able to cable home to her husband this message: "Saved alone, what shall I do?" As he rushed to England to join his wife, the ships captain stopped the ship in what he believed to be the spot where Haratio's daughters lay in their watery grave. Horatio wrote these words, "It is well; the will of God be done." The hymn comes from that penning.
In Philippians 4: 11-12 Paul tells us the he has learned to be content whatever the circumstances. He had learned the sufficiency of Christ's grace. Horatio also learned this lesson. In verse one he tells us that God had taught him this truth. Horatio was a life long student of scripture. He was friends with Moody and other leading Evangelist of his day. When this tragedy struck he had a wealth of knowledge to draw upon. He did not stop there however. When tragedy strikes we can not for long dwell on ourselves. The focus has to shift to Christ, his work on the cross, and his second coming. It is because of Christ that all who know Christ can say, "it is well with my soul".
