Bible Articles
"It Is Well With My Soul"
Horatio Spafford is a name that you may not be familiar with, but he is the author of the words of a hymn that we often sing -- “It Is Well With My Soul.” Before we consider the verses that were penned by the author, I want to give you a little background of his life and circumstances when he wrote these words. Horatio Spafford was a successful lawyer and real estate investor living in Chicago in the 1800s. He and his wife, Anna, initially had 4 daughters and a son named Horatio Jr. The first big tragedy that came into their lives was in 1870 when their son, at age four, died of Scarlet Fever. Then a year later, in 1871, the great Chicago fire killed hundreds and left more than 90,000 homeless. Although the Spafford family’s lives were spared, the fire devastated them financially.
So the Spaffords decided to move to Europe. But just before leaving for New York to sail to Europe, Horatio was detained by business dealings. He decided to send Anna and the 4 girls as planned and he promised to join them as soon as possible. During the journey, the French ship they were traveling on, “Ville du Havre” (at that time the largest passenger ship in the world) collided with another ship and sunk in only twelve minutes. Although the other ship tried to help, 226 of the 307 passengers drowned, including the Spaffords’ four daughters. Horatio’s wife, Anna, was found alive and unconscious hanging to a broken spar that was floating adrift. When she was safely ashore, she wired her husband the following message: “Saved alone. What shall I do? Mrs. Goodwin, children, Willie Culver lost.” Upon receiving the wire, Horatio sought passage on the next available ship to join his grieving wife and bring her home. During his journey, the ship’s captain summoned Horatio to inform him that according to his coordinates they were passing over the exact spot where his daughters had drowned. Horatio Spafford returned to his cabin and with pen in hand, poured out his heart to God with these words:
Verse 1
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.
There will be times of peace and calm in our lives -- but there will also be times when tragedy occurs and the emotions of sorrow toss us about. Whatever may come our way, God wants us to know that He hasn’t abandoned us or forgotten His promises. In both the Old and New Testaments, God assures us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deut. 31:6, Heb. 13:5). When we are in the midst of peace or sorrow, we can be assured that “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.
When Satan is tempting us or when trials come into our lives, Jesus knows what that is like. The song encourages us to let this assurance be the thing that anchors you during the storms of life. Jesus understands what we are going through (Heb. 4:15) and He knows how helplessly lost we would be without Him. That’s why He “hath shed His own blood for my soul.”
Verse 3
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!
When we consider our sin, the song reminds us that Jesus has paid the full price for all of our sins (1 Cor. 6:20; Eph. 1:7). His sacrifice and shed blood cleanse us from every sin (1 John 1:7-9). That is the glorious thought that spurs us on to a more committed service for our King and Savior. Finally, in the last verse of the song, the author wrote:
Verse 4
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,
“Even so” it is well with my soul.
And so we can look forward to the day when we will see the Lord. As the angels promised the apostles in Acts 1:11 when they saw Jesus ascend into the clouds – He will someday return in the same manner (Heb. 9:28; 1 Cor. 15:52). Those who are striving to live faithful lives, looking for that day of return will be able to say, “Even so, it is well with my soul.”
