"It Is Well with My Soul" (Trinity Hymnal 691)

Hymn of the Month, June 2015
Researched and written by Shelby Breedlove and Rev. Nicholas Davelaar

Many of the hymns we sing are gems of wisdom, guidance, and admonition, drawn from God’s Word and set to music so that the word of Christ might dwell in us richly. Let’s take some time to dig into another of these this month, “It Is Well with My Soul.”

History

The hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul,” was born out of great tragedy, or rather a series of tragedies. Horatio Spafford (1828-1888) was the senior partner of a prominent Chicago law firm. He had invested heavily in real estate in the fast-growing frontier town. He reportedly had a thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife and four daughters and a son. He was also a devout Christian and a ruling elder of the Fullerton Avenue Presbyterian Church. His circle of friends included Dwight L. Moody, Ira Sankey, and Henry Moorehouse, an English Bible teacher who had come to preach in Chicago.

At the height of this professional and financial success, Spafford and his wife, Anna, lost their only son to scarlet fever in 1870. In October of 1871 the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost every real estate investment that Spafford owned. His business interests were further hit by the economic downturn of 1873. Yet, the worst was to come.

The family had planned to travel to Europe on the S.S. Ville du Havre. Mr. Spafford was delayed on business concerning zoning problems in the city. He sent his family on, arranging to set sail a few days later. While crossing the Atlantic, all four of his daughters drowned after a collision with another ship. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone...." Shortly thereafter, as Spafford traveled to meet his wife, he was inspired to write the words of this hymn as his ship passed near where his daughters had died. The words speak of the eternal hope of all believers, no matter their earthly circumstances.

Philip Bliss (1838-1876), a family friend, wrote the tune for the hymn. He named it Ville du Havre after the ship on which Spafford's children perished. Bliss himself died in a tragic train wreck shortly after writing this music.

History taken from cyberhymnal.org: bit.ly/1FACMD0, Wikipedia.com, sharefaith.com: bit.ly/1BRnTKV,  spaffordhymn.com, and livinghymns.org: bit.ly/1eUL7e1.

Overview

“It is Well with My Soul” is a valuable and important contribution to our hymnal. As David demonstrated in many of the Psalms and Paul reinforced in 2 Corinthians 11, trusting in God and in Jesus Christ his Son does not exempt a person from trials and suffering in this world. The writer of this hymn understood that, and through this hymn he helps us acknowledge that openly and honestly, and then praise God for the hope that sustains us in even the hardest of times.

Verse 1

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

This hymn opens with a vivid picture. In this world, believers sometimes experience peace like a river, which is a way of saying no peace at all. Rivers are relentless, powerful, and sometimes devastating forces of nature. Even when calm, their currents can eat away the edges of their channels. They can sometimes be tamed, but only at great expense and effort, and even then there’s always the risk someday they’ll break loose.

Sometimes peace like a river attends the way of believers. To put it differently, sometimes sorrows like sea billows roll, again and again breaking upon our heads. Yet, with David, Paul, and the hymnwriter, we can rejoice that God has taught us to say that it is well with my soul. In the next verse we’ll sing of how he has done that.

Verse 2

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.

This verse begins much as the first verse did, but without the figurative language. Here we set aside verbal pictures and openly acknowledge that we who believe in Jesus Christ experience both attacks from Satan and various trials (Eph 6:11; James 1:2; 1 Pet 1:6). In the words of the first line, sometimes Satan buffets us, meaning strikes us repeatedly and violently, and without warning trials come upon us.

Here, however, is the blest assurance that controls every believer, the blest assurance God has taught each of us in his Word: that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and has shed his own blood for my soul. Among other places, we hear that clearly in Romans 5:8: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

That proclamation of God’s Word is true, and neither Satan nor trials can change it. Paul made that plain in the soaring conclusion of Romans 8: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Verse 3

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.

This verse leads us to continue our praise, and for a very important reason. In the midst of temptation and trial, even the most mature of believers may be tempted to believe that he has offended God, and that God is punishing him for his sin. The writer of this hymn knew that temptation in his lifetime. Sadly, in time some of Spafford’s brothers and sisters in Christ began to suggest that God was punishing him for his sin, just as Job’s friends told Job many years earlier.

In this verse Spafford leads us in celebrating the glorious reality that the whole of our sin is nailed to the cross. Drawing on the language of Colossians 2:14, he leads each of us in praising God for the amazing fact that my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more (see also Rom 8:3-4; 2 Cor 5:21). We may not understand God’s purposes for our suffering, but we may rest in knowing that Jesus Christ paid the price for our sin once for all by the sacrifice of himself (Heb 9:26). Therefore, we can sing even in the midst of suffering. Echoing the words of Psalm 103, we sing out, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Verse 4

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.

It is our privilege to receive and rest in Jesus Christ and in his work on our behalf, and furthermore to do so today. That said, this final verse reminds us that we have yet to taste the fullness of God’s goodness and grace. We are looking forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ, to the day when suffering and trials are no more. In fact, this final verse not only reminds us of what is to come, but it leads us in praying to God to haste that day, much as John prayed near the very end of the book of Revelation, saying, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

This final verse is filled with language drawn from Scripture, but perhaps the most valuable part of it for us are the two, likely confusing words in quotes near the end of the verse: “Even so.” They appear to be quoted from Revelation 1:7, and together constitute an affirmation along the lines of “yes indeed” or “assuredly so.” In anticipation of the coming of our Savior in glory, we close this hymn with confident hope, “Even so”—it is well with my soul.