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It
Is Well
Horatio
G. Spafford was already grieving over the loss of his
son when the Chicago
Fire of 1871 destroyed a significant real estate
investment that he had made on the shore of Lake
Michigan. Desiring
a rest for his wife and four daughters, Spafford
planned a European trip for his family in 1873.
When the time arrived for the family
to depart on the voyage, Spafford had to remain in
Chicago due to unexpected business developments.
He sent his wife and daughters on ahead as
scheduled on
the S.S. Ville
du Havre, with the intention of following them a
few days later.
On November 22 the Ville du Havre was struck by the Lochearn, an English vessel, and sank in twelve minutes.
Several days later, the survivors were finally
brought to land at Cardiff, Wales.
Mrs. Spafford cabled a message to her husband
with the words: “Saved Alone.”
Mr. Spafford boarded a ship to join his
bereaved wife. As
the ship passed near the area where it was thought
that his four daughters had drowned, Spafford wrote
down some words that described both the intensity of
his grief and his hope in God:
“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.’”
Kenneth
Osbeck noted: “Humanly
speaking, it is amazing that one could experience such
personal tragedies and sorrows as did Horatio Spafford
and still be able to say with such convincing clarity,
‘It is well with my soul.’”
How
can a person face such tragedies with such hope and
assurance?
1.
Know
that God loves you.
In the world, we will have troubles, even
tragedies (John 16:33).
Yet, God loves each and every one of us.
His love has been profoundly demonstrated in
giving His Son to die for each one of us.
“This is love, not that we loved God, but
that He loved us and sent His Son to be the
propitiation for our sins"
(1 John 4:10). Jesus
is the “propitiation” of our sins in that He took
the punishment
for our sins upon Himself; He was our substitute.
2.
Know
that through Christ we can be saved from our sins.
One’s sins are forgiven through Christ when
he/she responds in trusting obedience to Him through faith
(Hebrews 11:6), turning from sin to Him in repentance
(Acts 17:30), confessing Him before men
(Romans 10:9-10), being baptized
(immersed) in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38), AND
faithfully following His will as a way of life
(1 John 1:7).
3.
Know
that because of Christ, there is assurance of better
things to come.
Because of Christ, even death does not have the
final word. In
fact, the reward for the faithful Christian is eternal
life in a place where “God will wipe away every tear
from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor
sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for
the former things have passed away" (Revelation
21:4).
Because
of these things, no matter what a person may face in
this life, the Christian can say with assurance,
“It is well with my soul.”
Is
it well with YOUR
soul?
God
bless you!
David A. Sargent,
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
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