It Is Well With My Soul
Over the years, I have often sung the famous hymn ‘It Is Well With My Soul’, but I had no idea of the story behind the words of this great song. That changed in March, 2014 when my family was on a group tour of Israel and we visited the former Jerusalem home of the Spafford family from America.
Horatio G. Spafford was a successful lawyer and businessman in Chicago with a wife, Anna, and five children. However, they were not strangers to tears and tragedy. Their young son died with pneumonia in 1871, and in that same year, much of their business was lost in the great Chicago fire.
On Nov. 21, 1873, the French ocean liner, Ville du Havre was crossing the Atlantic from the U.S. to Europe with 313 passengers on board. Among the passengers were Mrs. Spafford and their four daughters. Although Mr. Spafford had planned to go with his family, he found it necessary to stay in Chicago to help solve an unexpected business problem. He told his wife he would join her and their children in Europe a few days later. His plan was to take another ship.
About four days into the crossing of the Atlantic, the Ville du Harve collided with a powerful, iron-hulled Scottish ship, the Loch Earn. Within approximately 12 minutes, the Ville du Harve slipped beneath the dark waters of the Atlantic, carrying with it 226 of the passengers including the four Spafford children. Anna survived and nine days later, from Cardiff, Wales, she wired her husband a message which began “Saved alone, what shall I do.”
Another of the ship’s survivors, Pastor Weiss, later recalled Anna saying, “God gave me four daughters. Now they have been taken from me. Someday I will understand why.”
Mr. Spafford booked passage on the next available ship and left to join his grieving wife. With the ship about four days out, the captain called Spafford to his cabin and told him they were over the place where his children went down.
According to Bertha Spafford Vester, a daughter born after the tragedy, Spafford wrote
“It Is Well With My Soul” while on this journey.
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.
Source: taken from www.staugustine.com
After hearing the story behind the song, I couldn’t keep the tears from flowing as we sang. All of a sudden, the words had so much meaning. How could this man write such words after so much loss? “It is well with my soul. Really? I don’t think I could ever be able to believe in these words if I ever lost a child”, I thought to myself!
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It Is Well With My Soul
Over the years, I have often sung the famous hymn ‘It Is Well With My Soul’, but I had no idea of the story behind the words of this great song. That changed in March, 2014 when my family was on a group tour of Israel and we visited the former Jerusalem home of the Spafford family from America.
Horatio G. Spafford was a successful lawyer and businessman in Chicago with a wife, Anna, and five children. However, they were not strangers to tears and tragedy. Their young son died with pneumonia in 1871, and in that same year, much of their business was lost in the great Chicago fire.
On Nov. 21, 1873, the French ocean liner, Ville du Havre was crossing the Atlantic from the U.S. to Europe with 313 passengers on board. Among the passengers were Mrs. Spafford and their four daughters. Although Mr. Spafford had planned to go with his family, he found it necessary to stay in Chicago to help solve an unexpected business problem. He told his wife he would join her and their children in Europe a few days later. His plan was to take another ship.
About four days into the crossing of the Atlantic, the Ville du Harve collided with a powerful, iron-hulled Scottish ship, the Loch Earn. Within approximately 12 minutes, the Ville du Harve slipped beneath the dark waters of the Atlantic, carrying with it 226 of the passengers including the four Spafford children. Anna survived and nine days later, from Cardiff, Wales, she wired her husband a message which began “Saved alone, what shall I do.”
Another of the ship’s survivors, Pastor Weiss, later recalled Anna saying, “God gave me four daughters. Now they have been taken from me. Someday I will understand why.”
Mr. Spafford booked passage on the next available ship and left to join his grieving wife. With the ship about four days out, the captain called Spafford to his cabin and told him they were over the place where his children went down.
According to Bertha Spafford Vester, a daughter born after the tragedy, Spafford wrote
“It Is Well With My Soul” while on this journey.
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.
Source: taken from www.staugustine.com
After hearing the story behind the song, I couldn’t keep the tears from flowing as we sang. All of a sudden, the words had so much meaning. How could this man write such words after so much loss? “It is well with my soul. Really? I don’t think I could ever be able to believe in these words if I ever lost a child”, I thought to myself!
Fast forward three and a half years, at about 4am on Sunday, September 17, 2017, I sat at my piano and played and sang ‘It Is Well With My Soul’ from the exact same song sheet that was given to me in the Spafford’s Jerusalem home. Five hours earlier I had learned of the sudden death of my son Chris. It was devastating news, but for some reason, I was drawn to the piano and was prompted to sing this hymn. I can’t explain why I did this, but I’m thankful that I acted on this prompting. I am thankful that Horatio Spafford wrote about how he chose to deal with all the sorrow that befell him because his words have definitely helped me. In turn, I hope that my writings will somehow help others.
“God, I don’t understand how this crazy thing called life works and I can’t fathom why certain things happen, but I trust that one day, I will see the purpose behind all that I don’t comprehend today. In the meantime, despite my loss, I ask that you help me to continue to sing ‘It Is Well, It Is Well With My Soul.’”
Fast forward three and a half years, at about 4am on Sunday, September 17, 2017, I sat at my piano and played and sang ‘It Is Well With My Soul’ from the exact same song sheet that was given to me in the Spafford’s Jerusalem home. Five hours earlier I had learned of the sudden death of my son Chris. It was devastating news, but for some reason, I was drawn to the piano and was prompted to sing this hymn. I can’t explain why I did this, but I’m thankful that I acted on this prompting. I am thankful that Horatio Spafford wrote about how he chose to deal with all the sorrow that befell him because his words have definitely helped me. In turn, I hope that my writings will somehow help others.
“God, I don’t understand how this crazy thing called life works and I can’t fathom why certain things happen, but I trust that one day, I will see the purpose behind all that I don’t comprehend today. In the meantime, despite my loss, I ask that you help me to continue to sing ‘It Is Well, It Is Well With My Soul.’”