Hymns of Hope: It is Well With My Soul

Many of the hymns were born out of immense sorrow. In this series, we will examine these songs of old, discover the circumstances behind when they were written, and find comfort in the lyrics that so powerfully point us to the hope of Christ.

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Growing up in a Baptist church, “It Is Well With My Soul” was a very familiar hymn. It made the worship lineup at least every other month. At Bible camp, it was the song my friends and I selected to perform for Talent Show night (yes, we were super cool). Yet, in all of my times singing this beloved hymn, the lyrics only landed on the surface for me. It was a pretty tune, and the words were nice, but it didn’t resonate with my soul. It wasn’t until the loss of my daughter, Kinley, that “It is Well” became more than just words to me.

It’s important to know the backstory of how this hymn came to be written. Horacio Spafford, was a man enjoying a comfortable life as an attorney with a wife, four daughters, and a son. Then, tragedy struck with the passing of his son. Soon after, the Great Chicago Fire occurred, which caused Spafford significant financial loss. Only a few years later, the unimaginable happened. All four of his daughters perished in a ship wreck. As Spafford traveled over the same waters that claimed his daughters’ lives, he penned the words to this beloved hymn.

“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.

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 hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

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!

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.

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!

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.”

Spafford turned his wailing into worship. Though the hymn begins with loss, it ends in hopeful anticipation for the day when “faith shall be sight.” Spafford’s faith was anchored in Christ. Therefore, when the worst happened, he doesn’t sink in sorrow but kept his focus heavenward.

At such a low valley in his life, Spafford chose to pour out praise to God for his salvation. Spafford realizes that death does not have the final word. He offers thanks to God that “the sky, not the grave, is our goal.” Spafford shows us that even in grief, we can glorify God.

Spafford’s testimony compares closely to the story of Job in the Bible. Job loses his wealth, his children, and even his health. But after Job had lost everything, his faith was still grounded in truth. He proclaimed,

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21). Job offered Spafford a biblical model for responding to tragedy, and Spafford, in turn, projects that same model for us today.

As Hope Moms, we know the devastation of losing children. It can feel as if we will drown in our grief. Yet, when we turn our eyes heavenward, we are pulled out of the crashing waves of despair. A great visual of this is found in Matthew 14:29-31.

“Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ He said, ‘why did you doubt?’ And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”

When we are focused on the storm—the circumstances of life that shake us to the core—we start sinking. But when we call out to our Savior, He takes our hand and walks with us. Notice that it doesn’t say Jesus snapped His fingers and transported him to dry land. It doesn’t say He enabled Peter to fly safely to the boat. It says that Jesus took Peter by the hand, while the storm was still raging, and walked with him to the boat. The wind didn’t settle until after they got into the boat. And what came after that?

Worship.

God’s power was displayed in the storm because Jesus was the only thing that kept Peter from death. Jesus was his Savior. And Jesus is still Savior today. Jesus died on the cross for our sins: He saves us from hell. Jesus defeated death: He saves our sweet Hope Babies from the grave and into eternity with Him. Jesus can and will see us through any storm.

That is how we, along with Spafford, can truly say, “It is well with my soul.”

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Stephanie Blanks is married to Matt and has four children: Lyston (9), Kinley (who went home to Jesus in 2011), Levi (6), and Leighton (4). Stephanie works at the Chamber of Commerce in her small town of Hondo, TX. She enjoys singing in her church praise band, running, reading, and spending time with her family at the lake. You can read more from Stephanie on her blog.

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