Life is sometimes unfair and filled with tragedy and grief. But, the affairs of this life cannot directly affect the soul. As long as we continue to trust in God and His wisdom, and never allow our hope of heaven to be too far from our minds, we can overcome all of the calamities of this life. The background to this popular hymn, “It is Well with My Soul,” reminds us that we can overcome the worse things that life can throw at us.
Horatio Spafford had a good life. As an attorney in Chicago, He was prospering financially. He had a loving wife, Anna, and five beautiful children—one son and four daughters. Then one evening, an evening that was, no doubt, pretty much like any other evening, a small flame broke out in a small barn behind DeKoven street in Chicago. Horatio could not have imagined that within two days, the Chicago fire of 1871 would destroy some 2,000 acres of land, including much real estate that he had invested in, and that he would lose a fortune. However, that was just the beginning of the tragic events that lay ahead of him.
Soon after the fire took Horatio’s fortune away, his only son died from scarlet fever at the tender age of four. Still, he spent his time, not worrying about his own losses, but doing what he could to help rebuild the city and assist the 100,000 people who were left homeless by the fire.
Two years later, in 1873, Mr. Spafford decided to take his family on a well-deserved vacation to Europe. Unfortunately, when they got to New York, he was impeded by an urgent matter that needed his immediate attention. Not wanting to ruin his family’s vacation, He decided to send them ahead to England, and he would join them just as soon as he could. He put them on the Ville du Havre, a luxurious French liner, and promised that he would make quick work of his business and see them soon. Tragically, it was the last time he ever saw his sweet daughters.
On November 22, 1873, the Ville du Havre collided with another vessel and sank into the frigid waters. Two hundred and twenty-six people died that terrible night, including Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie Spafford, Horatio’s children. Only Anna, his wife, survived. When Horatio heard the tragic news, he arranged passage to Cardiff, Wales, to join his wife. On the way, the captain of the vessel he was on took him aside and said, “I believe we are now passing over the place where the Ville du Havre went down.” As he struggled to sleep that night, Mr. Spafford said to himself, “It is well; the will of God be done.” Those thoughts became the basis for the hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul.”
The opening words of the hymn are powerful when you consider the events of the author’s life. “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.”
Never forget that we are in God’s hands, and nothing can pluck us out of them (John 10:29). No matter what terrible things happen to us in this world, our souls are well. The question is not whether trouble will invade our lives, but when it will come. Every person in this world must face the difficulties of life (Job 14:1). However, as Christians, we have to remember that God is with us, and that He loves us, even through the tragedies of life (Romans 8:35-39). When we are troubled, let us turn to God, knowing that he can give us peace like a river, assuring us through His Word that nothing, other than our own unfaithfulness, can harm our souls. As long as we love God and are faithful to Him, heaven will be ours, and, indeed, all is well with our souls.
As you wind down for the night, think on these things.