Someone paid the price…

One of my most inspirational Christian hymns is the song, "It is well with my soul." It is said to have been written by the lawyer, Heratio Spafford.

As the story goes, the build-up to its crafting was not pleasant in any way. As the apostle Paul would put it in his own case, Spafford was literally ‘being poured out as a drink offering.’ His only son died at age 4 in 1871. On October 8 of that same year, The Great Chicago Fire wiped out huge chunks of his estate. In 1873, he sent his wife and four daughters over to Europe on a recuperative trip aboard the SS Ville du Havre, planning to join them subsequently. SAVED ALONE is the text of one of the world’s most famous telegrams ever. It was dictated by his wife. The ship had sank and with it, their daughters.

That was not all. A fire equally claimed his law firm. Insurance refused to pay, arguing that it was "an act of God!” Now penniless, he lost his house.

The Christian gentleman that he was, Spafford yet looked ‘up to the hills from where his help came.’ This was the down payment for the epigrammatic hymn that has continued to bless generations of Christians and indeed many others that have heard it, through the years.

‘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, it is well
With my soul, with my soul
It is well, it is well, with my soul.’

Troubles are not pleasant when they occur in our lives. But trust God, they are more than the painful incidents we see and experience. Have a faith-filled day!

(extracted from my forthcoming book: Stand up, disabled!)