It Is Well

[calmcoolandelected]

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."

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 has shed his own blood for my soul!

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

My sin -- O 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!

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

O 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.

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

Hope you are having a blessed Lord's Day!
CC&E

 

[bradfordl]

Love that song.... here's the story behind it:

In 1871, tragedy struck Chicago as fire ravaged the city. When it was all over, 300 people were dead and 100,000 were homeless. Horatio Gates Spafford was one of those who tried to help the people of the city get back on their feet. A lawyer who had invested much of his money into the downtown Chicago real estate, he'd lost a great deal to the fire. And his one son (he had four daughters) had died about the same time. Still, for two years Spafford--who was a friend of evangelist Dwight Moody--assisted the homeless, impoverished, and grief-stricken ruined by the fire.

After about two years of such work, Spafford and his family decided to take a vacation. They were to go to England to join Moody and Ira Sankey on one of their evangelistic crusades, then travel in Europe. Horatio Spafford was delayed by some business, but sent his family on ahead. He would catch up to them on the other side of the Atlantic.

Their ship, the Ville de Havre, never made it. Off Newfoundland, it collided with an English sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and sank within 20 minutes. Though Horatio's wife, Anna, was able to cling to a piece of floating wreckage (one of only 47 survivors among hundreds), their four daughters--Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie--were killed. Horatio received a horrible telegram from his wife, only two words long: "saved alone."

Spafford boarded the next available ship to be near his grieving wife, and the two finally met up with Dwight Moody. "It is well," Spafford told him quietly. "The will of God be done."

Though reports vary as to when he did so, Spafford was led during those days of surely overwhelming grief to pen the words to one of the most beautiful hymns we know, beloved by Christians lowly and great. Though not yet (to my knowledge) in Catholic hymnals, it has long been a favorite of Baptists (and other evangelicals) including Martin Luther King.

More about Spafford, kinda sad:

The Spaffords also had another daughter, Grace, born in Chicago in January 1881. When Grace was just seven months old, the Spaffords moved to the Holy Land in August 1881. They helped to found a group called the American Colony in Jerusalem; its mission was to serve the poor. The Swedish novelist Selma Ottiliana Lovisa Lagerlöf (1858-1940) wrote the two-volume novel Jerusalem in 1901-1902 about this colony and others like it, and she won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1909. Sometime during the 1880s, in Jerusalem, Horatio Spafford suffered a mental illness that caused him to believe that he was the second Messiah.

 

[Bernergirl]

Aw, thank you!

May God bless you greatly!

Lissa

 

[calmcoolandelected]

Love that song.... here's the story behind it:


More about Spafford, kinda sad:

I had no idea!

We sang this hymn in church today, I was barely able to choke back tears. I had to have a surgical biopsy this past week, thankfully there was no cancer. I spent the time before the surgery and while waiting for the results considering the steadfastness of our Lord and what Christ accomplished on the cross, on my behalf. While I was afraid of the procedure and what may be lying ahead, I truly had a peace that passed all understanding. I know it came from Him as I am weak and unable to grasp just what faith is.

I pray that you all have that peace and can say, "It is well with my soul."

CC&E

 

[Bernergirl]

Praise God that He gave you that experience. And Praise Him for His protection!

Thank you for shining His light on my day!

God bless you!

Lissa

 

[McWilliams]

Giving thanks with you, CC&E for God's gracious care of you!

His mercies are new every morning! Great is His faithfulness!

 

[Proeliator]

I have the Audio Adrenaline rendition on now, with Jennifer Knapp. Beautiful song!

 

[GrinningDwarf]

I had no idea!

We sang this hymn in church today, I was barely able to choke back tears. I had to have a surgical biopsy this past week, thankfully there was no cancer. I spent the time before the surgery and while waiting for the results considering the steadfastness of our Lord and what Christ accomplished on the cross, on my behalf. While I was afraid of the procedure and what may be lying ahead, I truly had a peace that passed all understanding. I know it came from Him as I am weak and unable to grasp just what faith is.

I pray that you all have that peace and can say, "It is well with my soul."

CC&E

Praise Almighty God who sustains us!!