It Is Well With My Soul
What is the attitude we should strive for amidst the trials of life, great and small?
Imagine being on a boat deck, passing over the spot where your daughters drowned hours earlier. And the following is what flows forth from your mind:
1 When peace like a river attendeth my way,[1]
When sorrows like sea billows[2] roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
"It is well, it is well with my soul."[3]
Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
[1] God is the author of peace and always with us; Jesus intercedes on our behalf; the Holy Spirit prays with groanings deeper than words. Thus, providing a peace that transcends all understanding, attending to our needs.
[2] billows = meaning large waves of the sea
[3] no matter what the situation, our attitude is to be like Job’s: the Lord gives, the Lord takes away; blessed be His name. Salvation is the source of our joy, and should be our anchor and frame of reference.
2 Tho' Satan should buffet[4], tho' trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,[5]
And hath shed His own blood for my soul. [Refrain]
[4] buffet = to strike
[5] restated: Christ took notice of us while we were still helpless, and died for us (Romans 5:6). This blessed assurance is to control how we face adversity: trusting in God’s providence and plan, no matter how painful the situation.
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,[6]
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! [Refrain]
[6] We no longer have to carry the burden or penalty of sin, and can experience ecstatic joy of this reality amidst tremendous sorrows and trials. What such a soul will want to do is the next line: praise the Lord.
4 And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,[7]
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,[8]
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
"Even so" - it is well with my soul.[9] [Refrain]
[7] referring to when we are in Heaven, seeing Jesus face-to-face, free from sin, having been a faithful servant
[8] Quoting Revelation 6:14
[9] even in the midst of tragedy, even when the world ends, believers can say with confidence: “it is well with my soul.”
The writer’s 4 daughters aged 2-12 died, their next son died of scarlet fever; thankfully, their next two daughters lived. After hearing the news of the first 4 kids’ death, the author is reported to have said “I am glad to trust the Lord when it will cost me something.” A scripture that is often associated with this hymn is “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” The theme of this hymn is its last line of the first stanza: “Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well with my soul.”
Author: Horatio G. Spafford
Composer: Philip P. Bliss
Meter: 11.8.11.8 with refrain
Tune name: VILLE DU HAVRE