Spafford

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

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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, 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. Refrain

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

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. Refrain

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! Refrain

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

About the writer: Horatio G. Spafford was a wealthy Chicago businessman who lost his fortune during the Chicago fire. Despite this, he and his wife, Anna, devoted countless hours to helping the survivors. Later he sent Anna and his four daughters to England for a rest. While crossing the Atlantic their ship sank in a collision. Anna survived and sent him the heartbreaking telegram, “Saved Alone.” Several weeks later, as Spafford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, he wrote the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul.” In 1881 the Spaffords moved to Jerusalem – taking two daughters born after the ship­wreck – and helped found a group called the American Colony; its mission was to serve the poor. The colony later became the subject of the Nobel prize-winning Jerusalem, by Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlöf. Few hymn stories are as powerful as this one.

Key Verse: Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, I tell myself. –Psalm 146:1

Spafford, Horatio G.

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Horatio G. Spafford (1828-1888) was a wealthy Chicago businessman who lost his fortune during the Chicago fire. Despite this, he and his wife, Anna, devoted countless hours to helping the survivors. Later he sent Anna and his four daughters to England for a rest. While crossing the Atlantic their ship sank in a collision. Anna survived and sent him the heartbreaking telegram, “Saved Alone.” Several weeks later, as Spafford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, he wrote the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul.” In 1881 the Spaffords moved to Jerusalem – taking two daughters born after the shipwreck – and helped found a group called the American Colony. Its mission was to serve the poor. The colony later became the subject of the Nobel prize-winning novel Jerusalem. Few hymn stories are as powerful as this one. His unwavering faith has comforted countless grieving Christians; helping to assure them that God is in control, regardless of the circumstances.