When peace, like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll.
What ever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Chorus:
It is well (It is well) With my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Verse 2
Tho Satan should buffet, tho trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul!
Verse 3
My sin - O the joy 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!
Verse 4
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.
By Horatio Spafford
The author of this hymn was a layman, a lawyer and professor of medical jurisprudence from Chicago who maintained a close friendship with D.L. Moody and other Christian leaders. During the 1871 Chicago Fire, Spafford lost all of his real estate holdings. The year before his son had died.
In order to assist Moody in a Great Britain campaign, Spafford planned to travel there with his wife and four daughters. Due to business commitments, he was unable to travel with his family, but planned to join them within a few days.
On November 22, 1873 two ships collided; Mrs. Spafford was rescued, but their four daughters were lost. While Horatio Spafford sailed to join his grieving wife, it is believed that he penned the words to this hymn, including the words, "When sorrows like sea billows roll...." In the face of overwhelming tragedies, he was able to declare, "It is well with my soul."
Hit Tip: Dr. Chadwick's Hymn Backgrounds
9 comments:
I am reading the Hymn devotional "Then Sings My Soul" where I read this same story. It is so awe-inspiring when you see that he was able to write this in the midst of such overwhelming tragedy.
Great and encouraging post!!
Heard so many times, and yet.
This is one of my favorite Hymns....it never seems to get old to me!
Blessings
I used to play the piano at a Southern Baptist Church. I LOVE this hymn... brings peace just to read the words again :)
this hymn and the story of Stafford have always been one of my most ispirational songs and story. Thanks for posting it today.
I also noticed you are an oregonian. Have i brought that up before? What part of the state?
Hey, Pirate, I am in the liberal bastion of the state, the Portland Metro area.
Beautiful, jgf. I am unfamiliar with this particular hymn, but even without the music I can almost hear it.
This man went through some terrible ordeals that make most of our complaints absolutely petty. Speaking for myself, I can learn from him. What an inspirational post! :)
That is my all time favorite hymn. It is the hymn I want played/sung at my funeral.
4 Him, the Contemporary Christian rock band, has done a beautiful rendition of it. Ir never fails to put a lump in my throat.
I remember one time a few years ago a lady at our church got sick with Staph - nobody thought it was such a big deal. We came into church one morning and out of the blue found out she had died, and
her friend sang that hymn - it was really beautiful and touching.
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