When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know
It is well, it is well, with my soul.Refrain:
It is well, (it is well),
With my soul, (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 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 my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
A song in the night, oh my soul!Lyrics by Horatio Spafford, Music by Phillip Bliss (taken from Wikipedia)
The lyrics to this song written by Horatio Spafford give me comfort every time I hear them or read them. They are timeless and remind me that I am never alone.
Spafford penned these words after suffering many losses in his life. His 2 year old son died, he experienced financial ruin after the The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and subsequent downturn of the economy and the final blow which prompted him to write these words was the death of all 4 of his daughters when they were on a ship crossing the Atlantic that sank due to a collision with another vessel.
These words make me wonder if he was trying to convince himself that truly all was well with his soul or if it was a fact. I think he embraced these words and lived them and I take comfort in that. Just hearing them sung or recited gives my heart comfort.
Some days we need comfort, don’t we? We need to know that it can indeed be well with our soul. Today and every day I cling to that fact and am thankful.
22 Comments
Leave a commentMy personal favorite. I’m sure you know too that Mrs Spafford’s telegram to her husband after the boat tragedy was stark,yet profound,”saved alone”.
Yes. Those words must have been so jarring to him, don’t you think? I knew you would love this song as well. Thanks for stopping by.
This has always been a favorite hymn of mine!
It is a good one, that is for sure. And there are so many variations of it that it is always new to me when i hear it. Such a comforting song.
Yup, we all need the reminder! And Vocal Point is one of my favorites!
This is such a wonderful hymn and the rendition that Vocal Point does is amazing. Thanks for stopping by.
This is just beautiful and I needed this today. Thank you 💜
Sending hugs and love your way.
What a great song and I needed that reminder. Blessings friend!
Seems that I need the reminder daily. Blessings to you as well!
I think that is the old hymn that is the most comforting of all. It comes to my mind so often and it is encouraging that one man who experienced so much tragedy in his life still sought the Lord for peace for his soul. A good lesson and reminder for all of us.
I agree–it has to be one of the most comforting hymns of all time. The picture in the header is what I have hanging in my office and I love it.
Such beautiful words Beth Ann, thank you so much for sharing them and the video. This is the first time I’ve heard it, but it won’t be the last. Thank you.
Have a blessed week.
It is a wonderful hymn that offers so much comfort to so many. Glad to have been able to share it with you. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Beautiful post. Thank you.
Thank you for stopping by. 🙂
I love this song, even more so now that I know the Minnesota connection:
https://mnprairieroots.com/2016/03/23/part-iii-from-wanamingo-the-connection-to-a-beloved-hymn/
Those young men do a great job of putting the special words to music. Thanks for sharing.
Though I’m off Link Logs, I see a link to this fitting into something I wrote over the weekend…
Priscilla–nice to see you here leaving a comment! Hope you are well!
I love this hymn and started singing it as soon as I read your post title. Whether he was convincing himself or truly believed it, it is a great reminder for all of us.
[…] You know the hymn I am referring to and I have written about it before . (Check out that post here.) […]