As you can tell if you clicked through the link, this is not the famous hymn written by Horatio Spafford, but Kristene DiMarco's modern day version that shares just one of the famous lines and a variation on the accompanying tune "it is well, it is well, with my soul."
Most know the story that led to the original words being penned...
Spafford, a wealthy Chicago lawyer and devout Christian had a wife, four daughters and a son. Tragically, his young son died and not long after, he lost most of the real estate he owned in the Great Chicago Fire.
Two years later, in an effort to give his family a much needed vacation, he booked a boat trip to Europe. When last minute business came up, he sent them on ahead with the promise of catching up in a few days time. The ship collided with another and all four of his daughters drowned.
On board a boat taking him to his grieving wife in England, he wrote the words to It Is Well With My Soul.
The trials and tribulations of my life, difficult as they may have been to this point, pale in comparison to Spafford's. I am amazed at the depth of faith he had to bear so many tragedies and still say "it is well."
Still, as I meditated on the words of the chorus "And through it all, through it all, my eyes are on You. And through it all, through it all it is well. And through it all, through it all, my eyes are on You...and it is well with me" I reflected back over the past year.
It was a year that saw heartache as I shared in Permission to Grieve.
And it was a year that saw triumph even though The Waiting is the Hardest Part.
"So let go my soul and trust in Him. The waves and wind still know His name. It is well with my soul."
These words are so powerful to me. There is incredible freedom in them. Let go. Trust. He is still in control of the waves and wind of life. June 28th will be one year since I began a new journey with a new home, new job, and new church, and I am once again, living proof of His goodness. It really is well with my soul.
Is that easier to say on the other side of the difficulty? Most times, yes.
But saying - and believing - "it is well with my soul" as you're dealing with...
the divorce...
the job loss...
the cancer...
the betrayal of a close friend...
the passing of a loved one...
is where it has real meaning. In the midst of the wind and waves. Facing the mountain in front of us. Feeling the earth quake and pitch beneath our feet. Not knowing exactly what the outcome of the current trial will be. When we can say "it is well with my soul" because "through it all, our eyes are on Him", this is where faith grows.
Take this opportunity to listen to It Is Well if you haven't yet. Close your eyes and ponder..is it well with your soul? I would love to hear the lessons of faith you have experienced through it all.
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