It Is Well With My Soul

Like many other families, we are struggling in this age of Covid. Some members of our family have had the virus, but we have been spared the sorrow of watching a loved one die. Tragically, other families have not, including some friends of ours.

As we enter 2021, with no clear end in sight for this unfolding global pandemic, my desire is to claim, “It is well with my soul.”

One of my favorite hymns is Horatio G. Spafford’s, It Is Well with My Soul, born out of a great tragedy in Horatio and Anna Spafford’s lives. Consider these powerful lyrics.

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.

Refrain:

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.

The story behind these lyrics makes this hymn come alive. This Christmas Marilyn and I watched the narration of the Spaffords’ story by English actor Hugh Bonneville.

The beautiful rendition of the hymn and the telling of this deeply moving story brought tears of sorrow and joy to my eyes. I want to share it with you. Please take a few minutes to watch it and be blessed as we enter 2021.