Some of you may have heard the song, It is well, others of you may have not. There is a story of how this hymn of old came
to be. Below is that story….
Horatio Spafford (1828-1888) was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a
thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters and a son. He
was also a devout Christian and faithful student of the Scriptures. His circle
of friends included Dwight L. Moody, Ira Sankey and various other well-known
Christians of the day.
At the very height of his financial and professional success,
Horatio and his wife Anna suffered the tragic loss of their young son. Shortly
thereafter on October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost every
real estate investment that Spafford had.
In 1873, Spafford scheduled a boat trip to Europe in order to
give his wife and daughters a much-needed vacation and time to recover from the
tragedy. He also went to join Moody and Sankey on an evangelistic campaign in
England. Spafford sent his wife and daughters ahead of him while he remained in
Chicago to take care of some unexpected last minute business. Several days
later he received notice that his family's ship had encountered a collision.
All four of his daughters drowned; only his wife had survived.
With a heavy heart, Spafford boarded a boat that would take him
to his grieving Anna in England. It was on this trip that he penned those now
famous words, When sorrow like sea billows roll; it is well, it is well with
my soul..
Philip Bliss (1838-1876), composer of many songs including Hold
the Fort, Let the Lower Lights be Burning, and Jesus Loves Even Me,
was so impressed with Spafford's life and the words of his hymn that he
composed a beautiful piece of music to accompany the lyrics. The song was published
by Bliss and Sankey, in 1876.
For more than a century, the
tragic story of one man has given hope to countless thousands who have lifted
their voices to sing, It Is Well With My Soul.
This “modern day” story of JOB is one that
is hard to imagine. As a father of 6
kids, I know the intense love that I have for them. I know the pain of saying goodbye to a son, one
whom we lost during the second Trimester of pregnancy. Though we did not know his personality, our
love for him lives. We look forward to
the day when we shall him see face to face.
I love this hymn….however, there is one word
that I do not sing. I mean, I do sing
the song, but simply swap out one word.
This word is not a long one, but it carries some serious strength. In fact, this word is the defining line
between two types of Christians. Ones
that believe and live one way and others live and believe the other way. So what word are we talking about? It is what
it is…..IS.
“My sin not in part but the whole, is nailed to the Cross…” is how the song goes…but I sing it
differently…”My sin not in part but the whole, was nailed to the Cross…”.
Can you see it? Does it make sense to you? For some, they still carry their sins. Or if they have given them to Jesus for the Cross-,
still see them as alive and maybe even controlling.
Then there is the Christian who lives with
the “was”. The debt WAS paid…sin is dead. We then are alive to Christ. Are you living as if your sins are dead, or
are they still chained around your soul?
Guilt and shame have no hold over us, IF we let them stay dead. Guilt and shame given to us from others….does
not stay. We are free because Jesus did
not only die on the Cross-He has risen from the grave. He won.
We are free.
Then begs the question…how
then do you live? Are your sins a “was”
or an “is”? Are you living in guilt and
shame? Our your dreams free to roam with
Christ? Or are you so entangled in your
“is” that you constantly cast your plans, failed hopes, guilt, shame, sin,
short comings on your soul and maybe even on others?
Your sin is not yours
anymore. Stop feeding the fire of what
needs to be dead. Christ lives, sin
dies. Be a “was” person today! After all, your sin was nailed to the
Cross and you do not need to bear it anymore!
Praise the Lord!
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.
Refrain:
It
is well with my soul,
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.
My sin—oh, 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!
For me, be it
Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang
shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
But, Lord, ’tis
for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh,
trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my
soul!
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.
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| the home where we ate at in San Ramon for two days....they simply took their hammocks down |
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| the team adding the stucco |
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| Caleb and part of the team crossing the river on the "bridge" |
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| praying for the family |
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| beautiful view in San Ramon |
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| inside one of the houses |
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| other view of the same house |
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| a handmade quilt given to the Maurice Team members.... |
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| a perfect spot to relax after a hard day's work! |
