Is it Well With Your Soul?

Scurrying.

That is what I was doing fifteen years ago at an outreach event our church hosted. We invited the neighborhoods surrounding the church to a free hotdog lunch. Even though we were thinking big, we never dreamed we’d feed 1500 people. So, as the volunteer in charge, I was racing around, making sure we didn’t run out of food or drinks, and wanted to see to it that everyone was having a good time.

We asked Christian country music singer, Clifton Jansky, to perform and share a Gospel message that day, but I didn’t focus on his music until he began to sing “It is Well With My Soul.” That’s when my scurrying came to a sudden stop.

Clear and crisp, the sweet aroma of the song lured me closer to the stage, where I forgot all the details of the evangelical block party, and began to worship.

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to know,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It was the most beautiful rendition of It is Well With My Soul I had ever heard. However, I didn’t know the background on the song until this week, when Clifton Jansky sang it again at a luncheon put on by Roaring Lambs Ministries in San Antonio.

Successful lawyer, Horatio Spafford, wrote the hymn after enduring traumatic events in his life. The first was the 1871 Great Chicago Fire that ruined him financially because he had invested in property decimated by the fire.

In 1873, Spafford planned to travel to Europe with his family on the SS Ville duHavre, but in a late change of plans, he sent his wife and four daughters ahead because he was delayed on business due to repercussions from the Fire. As the ship was crossing the Atlantic, there was a terrible accident. The SS Ville duHavre collided with another sea vessel, and sank, killing all four of Spafford’s daughters. Only his wife, Anna, survived. Following the tragedy, she sent him a telegram with the words, “Saved alone…”

As Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write the words of It is Well With My Soul, originally named Ville du Havre, as his ship passed near where his daughters drowned.

The song, powerful before, now had new meaning as Jansky beautifully shared it again.

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.

Maybe you’ve been through something traumatic like what Horatio Spafford endured and you cannot escape the memory. Is it well with your soul? Is it stealing your peace?

Nothing in this world can satisfy the soul. You can try to anesthetize the pain with drugs and alcohol, but you can only numb it for so long. You can attempt to bury the pain, but it will resurface. It is only God who can bring peace and hope to the soul during the worst of trials.

Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Our hope comes from knowing this world is temporary, and that the pain we experience in this life will not last forever. The tears we shed today will be wiped away in eternity, thanks to the sacrifice of God’s son on the cross.

Jesus promises a respite for our souls when he says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Through time spent with him, the Psalms tell us God refreshes, guards, delivers, quenches, and is merciful to our souls.

What is the state of your soul today? What is it longing for today?

Give your soul over to Jesus, and ask him to flood it with the peace, and assurance that comes from knowing him. Meditate on his Word today, and invite the Holy Spirit to infiltrate your soul with what it is lacking.

Then, as you sit still before the only one who can calm the soul, paste this link into your browser, close your eyes, and listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esgYqI1S5PQ