It
is Well
By Lexi Ellis
“I will extol the
Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the
Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.”
Psalm 34:1-2
In
the late 1800’s, Horatio Spafford had it all: a thriving legal practice, wealthy
real estate investments, a loving wife and five children. And then it hit. In
1871, the Spaffords’ son died and the Great Chicago Fire destroyed Horatio’s
investments. Horatio decided the family needed a vacation. When unexpected
business came up, he sent his wife and four daughters on the ship with plans to
meet them shortly. The boat collided and his four daughters drowned. Within two
years, Horatio and Anna Spafford buried all five of their children. [1]
It
was in the midst of this unspeakable disaster that Horatio wrote the well-known
hymn, “It is Well with My Soul.” There are two things that have been impactful
for me. The first is the phrase: “It is well
with my soul.” I love that Spafford doesn’t sugarcoat it. He was in the
midst of immense mourning. He didn’t fake it and say it is “golly, ol’ grand
with my soul.” But he doesn’t allow bitterness to overcome him. It hurts, it’s
sad, it’s painful…but it is well. Why? The hymn explains because of what Christ
has done for us. It is well because Christ has taken all of our sin, reconciled
us with God and is coming back soon.
The
other thing that so impacts me in the hymn is that our God is in relationship
with us, regardless of our present circumstance. He is our God in times of
happiness and in times of sadness. Another worship song I love echoes that
truth:
All of my life, in
every season,
You are still God.
I have a reason to
sing,
I have a reason to
worship.
I will bring praise.
I will bring praise.
No weapon formed
against me shall remain.
I will rejoice. I
will declare. God is my victory and He is here.[2]
God
meets us where we are - - in the midst of joyous celebrations and unspeakable
pain. Incredible. I want my life song to be similar to Horatio Spafford’s
beautiful hymn and be able to say to my Lord every morning, “It is well.”
When peace, like a
river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billow roll;
Whatever my lot,
thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.[3]
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
Identify what kind of “season” you are currently in.
2.
What do you need to do so you can honestly say “It is well with my soul” each
morning?
FURTHER
READING:
[2]
Hillsong, “The Desert Song”
[3] For all
the verses of the hymn sung by Chris Rice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HLyhEdh92E&feature=related
Lexi has recently
returned from her honeymoon with her husband, Andrew. She serves with
Children’s Ministries at Oakwood and is a fourth grade teacher at Lake Country
Christian Academy.
