Horatio Spafford was born in 1828. He worked as a lawyer in Chicago, married at the age of 33, and invested heavily in real estate. He lost his only son, who was four, to scarlet fever. Then he lost his life savings in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. He and his wife used what little they had left to feed the hungry, help the homeless, and care for the injured and sick. Two years later, Spafford planned a trip to Europe to give his family a break.. at the last minute he was detained by an emergency business meeting. He sent his wife and four daughters on ahead. The steamer they were on was struck by another ship, and sunk, killing all four of his daughters. His wife’s telegram home read, simply, “Saved alone. What shall I do…”
He left Chicago immediately to bring his wife home. As his ship crossed the Atlantic, the captain called him to the deck to tell him when they were at the approximate place where his children had drowned. That night, he wrote these words:
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, 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 has 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 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
6 Comments
July 12, 2009 at 9:54 pm
love that story. i had heard it before….but it’s a good reminder.
hope that song is giving you peace in your trying times.
July 13, 2009 at 12:52 am
I know you know that I’m as close to an athiest as you can get but I’ve always been envious of this type of faith…when I was young our pastor’s son suddendly collapsed…went into a coma and died. I saw how that family (his sister was my friend) was able to “buffet” all the the pain and desperation because of their incredible faith whereas my sister (the boy’s “unofficial” girlfriend) had nothing to hang onto…faith is an amazing thing…wish I had some. Lots of hugs and may things start to get better soon.
July 13, 2009 at 9:02 am
Hi Cory,
I just heard this story yesterday for the first time. A group of sisters (www.eternityfocus.com) were singing at our church and telling stories and showing stories on our big screen to go along with their songs, this was one of their songs and the story on the screen behing them to go along. It was powerful. When you make Jesus the Lord of your life, HE takes your burdens and carries you through any storm you are enduring. May the peace of God that passes no understanding flood your soul Corey. Nothing is to great for him. I am thinking about you and praying for you that just like in the verse, “Nothing is impossible to those that believe.” God has more for us than we could ever dare to ask or believe. What I think can’t compare to anything that he thinks about us and how much he loves us. Love NEVER fails.
Love ya,
Lisa
July 13, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I’m hoping this is a homeschool project. Otherwise, I’m seriously concerned.
love.
July 13, 2009 at 4:44 pm
You have no idea.
I absolutely needed to hear this today. We just received devastating news in our adoption case.
I was just about ready to get off the computer and do some things around the house to try stop these tears.
Instead I decided to read one more blog.
Thank-you.
From the bottom of my heart, thank-you.
July 27, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Hope you are okay. Have been following your journey. You are a lot of inspiration for those folks who are undergoing difficult adoptions! Keep it up. You undoubtedly get some hate mail, but please know that you are helping others out there!