“It Is Well With My Soul”
In praying for the nation of Haiti, I find myself returning to the words of It Is Well With My Soul. The classic hymn was written by Horatio Spafford, a man who was sadly all too familiar with death and tragedy. In 1871, Spafford suffered the tragic death of his only son to scarlet fever. Shortly thereafter, while grieving the death of their son, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the entire city. A successful businessman and lawyer at the time, Spafford lost everything. While he and his wife Anna began piecing their lives back together, his friend and an acclaimed Bible teacher, D.L. Moody, suggested the family take a much-needed vacation. Since Moody was preaching in England at the time, Spafford followed his advice and planned a European vacation with his family. They would board the S.S. Ville du Havre to travel there. Since business concerns left in the rubble of the Great Chicago Fire demanded his time, Spafford sent his family—Anna and their four daughters—ahead of him.
En route over the Atlantic, the ship collided with an iron shipping vessel and sank rapidly thereafter. All four of his daughters drowned. His wife Anna, one of the few survivors, arrived in Europe to send her husband the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.” With a grieving and broken heart, Horatio Spafford immediately departed for England to join his devastated wife. When the ship’s captain told Spafford they were passing over the scene of the collision, immense sorrow overcame him, and he retreated to the ship’s cabin. Swallowed in unbearable grief, he wrote the words:
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.
A few years later, Horatio Spafford and his wife Anna bore three more children, losing one of them—another son—yet again to scarlet fever. Imagine the heartache. Could you imagine the sorrow? This man’s life was relentlessly marked with tragedy, loss and death. However, not once did he fold under his anger, sorrow or despair. Instead, against all worldly odds, he declared his hope and faith in a sovereign God—Jesus Christ.
And a few years later, by God’s amazing grace, the Spafford family eventually turned their sorrows and grief into compassion and mercy. They moved to Jerusalem and engaged in philanthropic work, ministering to the people there in the wake of World War I.
Our God saves.
In Christ, Our Ultimate Provision
This truth—that our God is a God who saves—was embraced by Horatio Spafford in such a way that he made clear to the world that Christ alone was his heart’s most valuable treasure and his greatest desire. In another verse of It Is Well With My Soul he writes:
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
What a testimony to share! You see, Horatio Spafford understood that he was no better, nor holier, than the next guy. He believed that all people—himself included—are inherently bad by both nature and choice. He had seen the devastating effects of a fallen world. Sin… tears… disease… death. And he knew who his only hope—our only hope—was: Jesus. Horatio Spafford placed the care of his soul in a wonderful Savior. If God were so loving and so gracious to pardon Spafford’s offenses against him, then what a wonderful God he must be. So let’s consider God’s testimony in the life of Horatio Spafford as we continue to pray for and minister to the Haitian people. Let’s consider this testimony as we will inevitably continue to face troubles and losses in our own lives.
And let us never forget that our God is a God who saves.
1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Churches Helping Churches took footage from their recent trip to Haiti and produced the following presentation. Ex Nihilo‘s rendition of It Is Well With My Soul plays in the background.
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.
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O 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 with my soul.
Even still, it is well with my soul.
6 Comments on "Devastation in Haiti // “It Is Well With My Soul”"
so rad
Wow I had no clue. That just makes this song all the more lovely to me. Those pictures are very powerful too. Lord wiling I would like to go to Haiti!!
I love what you men are doing on this blog. It’s encouraging to see young men proclaiming truth and joy in God. Never give up!
Love… Worship… Moving…
Praise =)
I read this in perfect timing. You have no idea. Thanks Chris.
i have a book you have to get! You can find it on amazon.com called “Restorative Grief” ‘a guide to healing from adoption’ By: Cynthia Christensen! Let me know how you like it!
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