4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
—The words of the Apostle Paul from Philippians 4:4-7
Is it well with your soul this day? Why not stop for just a moment and take an inventory. Then, compare your situation to that of Horatio Spafford.
Horatio Spafford, a prominent Chicago lawyer in the mid-1800s, and his wife, Anna Larsen Spafford, had become close friends and supporters of evangelist, Dwight L. Moody. Family tragedy began to plague Spafford. He watched his only son die from scarlet fever in 1870 at the age of four. As if that was not enough, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed the real estate holdings in which this man had invested his fortune. To give his remaining family a respite from their troubles, he planned a holiday to England because D. L. Moody would be preaching there.
But, at the last moment, a business responsibility required him to remain in the United States. So as to not delay the long-planned holiday, he sent his wife and four daughters—eleven year old Anna “Annie”, nine year old Margaret Lee, five year old Elizabeth “Bessie”, and two year old Tanetta—ahead of him on the French steamship, Ville du Havre.
Then the horrible news of a shipwreck reached him. On November 22, 1873, the Scottish three-masted iron clipper, Loch Earn struck the Ville du Havre, which sank in just 12 minutes, taking the lives of 226 persons.
Fearing the worse, Horatio Spafford waited for days and days to hear whether or not they had survived. Finally, he received a telegram from his wife who had reached the coast of Wales—two simple words—“Saved, alone.”
All four of his beautiful, dearly loved daughters had perished in the shipwreck. He had lost his son. He had lost his fortune. And, now, he had lost his family.
Spafford sailed immediately for England. As his ship passed near the spot where his daughters had died—out of his broken heart—Horatio G. Spafford penned these words to what has become a very a familiar hymn:
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.
Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (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.
Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (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 the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with 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.
Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Please take just a moment to consider the trials that may afflict your life? Do you have the quiet confidence that gripped Horatio Spafford’s heart? Do you have the assurance that God remains in control; that every aspect of your life is under His loving care? I truly hope you do.
As you consider the loving comfort, protection, and help God awaits to give to you, please watch this video where 4Him sings a reharmonized version of songwriter Philip Bliss’ original tune Ville du Havre. Bliss, a songwriter who worked closely with D. L. Moody and Moody’s song leader, Ira D. Sankey, named this tune in honor of the ship on which the Spafford daughters died.
Please click here to watch a video of this song.
Will you pray with me?
Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.
Precious Father, the words of this magnificent hymn represent our prayer to You this day. We long for a great outpouring of Your Holy Spirit that will breathe peace into the very core of our beings. We long to be able to face every challenge in our lives with the same kind of response that Horatio Spafford gave when he wrote this hymn.
We thank You, Precious Father, for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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