It Is Well With My Soul
Knowing his friend Dwight Moody
was going to preach in England in
fall 1871, Horatio Stafford decided
to take his family to England. His
wife & 4 daughters went ahead on
SS Ville and he planned to follow
a few days. But on Atlantic Ocean
the ship was struck by an iron
vessel and sank. 260 lives were lost
including Spafford’s four girls; and
Mrs Spafford cabled her husband:
Saved alone. Horatio Spafford
booked passage on the next ship.
Crossing the Atlantic, the captain
pointed the place where he thot
SS Ville had gone down. And that
night Spafford penned the words:
When sorrows like sea billows roll…
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Lord, we look up to You for help:
Therefore, having been justified
by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ…
And we can rejoice too when we
run into problems & trials, for we
know that they help us develop
endurance. And endurance
develops strength of character,
and character strengthens our
confident hope of salvation.
And hope does not disappoint
us because God has poured
out His love into our hearts by
the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:1-5). Amen.
Father God, You want me to trust
You even in the difficult times.
But rejoicing isn’t natural for me,
so enable me so that I can make
it the supernatural response to
the difficulties & pressures in life.
Teach me to endure Lord so that
my character will be strengthened,
faith in God to steadily grow even
as Holy Spirit pours out Your love.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
Lord, we acknowledge that You
are sovereign in all our situations.
In Your mercy, take this trial away;
if not then may Your will be done.
But it’s hard and sometimes we feel
can’t go on for it’s just too painful.
I know that it is not Your intent to
leave us alone in the wilderness.
For all the strength, resource and
wisdom I need are in Your hands.
Provide what I need so that I do
not have to worry about tomorrow.
And keep my eyes on You God,
for all my hope rests in You. Amen.
Lord, 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…
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. Amen