|

It Is Well With My Soul

It is well with my soul……

A few weeks ago I was given this coffee mug by someone very dear to me. This morning as I sat drinking my second cup of “Get Up And Go” java I thought about the words on the mug. I know the story behind the well known church hymn, but I thought maybe some of you don’t know and it’s an amazing story.

The story of the song begins with Horatio Gates Spafford (1828-1888) He was a prominent Chicago lawyer, who’s business was thriving. Horatio owned several properties throughout the city and was considered wealthy. He and his wife had four beautiful daughters and one son. Their son died of Scarlett Fever before he was 5 years old. Then came great Chicago Fire of 1871. All the buildings at that time were wooden and the wind fanned the flames. Spafford lost all his business holdings and his home overnight.

But the worst was yet to come.

He was worried about his wife’s health and decided to take his family on a trip to England. At the last minute a business matter came up and he stayed in Chicago. He sent his wife and four daughters on ahead as scheduled and planned to follow them in a few days. On November 22 their ship was struck an English vessel, and sank in twelve minutes. His four daughters drowned but his wife was found and rescued.

When Spafford heard the news he left immediately to join his wife. The hymn is said to have been written as he approached the area of the ocean thought to be where the ship carrying his daughters had sunk.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!
  4. 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.
  5. 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!
  6. 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.
Their four daughters and the telegram Anna sent her husband to let him know she had survived but the girls were lost.

Here is a beautiful rendition of the hymn.

This is a Blog Hop. Please link up and leave a comment!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter



Related posts:

  1. Would You Sell Your Soul on eBay?
  2. Keeping Christ in Christmas
  3. Beautiful Hands
  4. Day 20-Music

Similar Posts

21 Comments

  3. Oh that is so sad to have lost all his children! But it’s amazing that this song came from that tragedy. not only is it beautiful but it also gives us insight that even though his sufferings were great, somehow he found some kind of peace with it even though he probably never got over it. Thanks for also including the song too. I am listening to it and yes you are right that there are some of us (including me) that never knew the story. Thanks for sharing it with us at #OMHGWW

  4. I knew the story behind the song, but now I learned even more from you, plus the adorable photos of those girls. How tragic! The song still gets to me even today. Thanks for linking on Amanda’s Books and More!

  11. Such a pretty mug! Is that from DaySpring? This is one of my favorite hymns, but has such a heartbreaking story. It shows true faith in a time of extreme hardship.

  12. Hi Sylvia, Thank you so much for stopping by. I love my mug, too! It was a gift from my daughter-in-law!

Comments are closed.