It Is Well!

If you were to ask me what is the most important element in worship you might think I would say that it is that awesome pastor. The pastor who can move mountains with his words. You know? Someone like me; but that really would not be my answer.  I would have to say my answer is the music.

For myself, my taste of music crosses the spectrum of all music.  I was taught early on to listen to the words.  Yes, the melody moves the words, but it is the content of the words that move the heart.  That’s why it is difficult for me to shorten a hymn in church.  Don’t worry! I have never made anyone sit through all the verses of “For All the Saints.”  But I have had them sing six or seven verses of a hymn.  When you cut some verses you are leaving out parts of the message.  And maybe sometimes the words and the melody brings back a memory.  For me “Rock of Ages” was very difficult to get through as an adult, because I remember singing it at my mom’s funeral.  The hymn “Glory Be to God the Father” was sung at my ordination, installations, and the plan is someday to be sung at my funeral.  Here is one for the Niebuhr family: every time “The Church’s One Foundation” is played I automatically think of Dad Niebuhr.  On verse two, when he was playing this hymn he would put emphasis with rest between the words; One Lord, one faith, one birth.  No matter where or what is happening when I sing this hymn my thoughts go straight to him at the keyboard and playing his heart out.

Now as I have grown older and wiser there is one hymn I have truly grown to love and understand that is written by Horatio Spafford.   This hymn was writ­ten af­ter two ma­jor trau­mas in Spaf­ford’s life. The  first was the great Chi­ca­go Fire of Oc­to­ber 1871, which ru­ined him fi­nan­cial­ly (he had been a weal­thy bus­i­ness­man). Short­ly af­ter, while cross­ing the At­lan­tic, all four of Spaf­ford’s daugh­ters died in a col­li­sion with an­o­ther ship. Spaf­ford’s wife, Anna, sur­vived and sent him the now fa­mous tel­e­gram, “Saved alone.” Sev­er­al weeks lat­er, as Spaf­ford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daugh­ters died, the Ho­ly Spir­it in­spired these words. They speak to the eter­nal hope that all be­liev­ers have, no mat­ter what pain and grief be­fall them on earth.

Standing on the deck of that ship, looking into the deep blue waters of the sea and wondering about his daughters.; Then to pen these words;

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

o    Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, 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!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my 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.

For me this hymn speaks of our lives and our journeys as Christians.  Our heart ache may not be losing family in a ship wreck, but we have all had loss. We have all struggled.  It does not just have to be in bad times to remember this hymn.  On a good day I can sit back and say: “It is well.”  It is well and I am content.  I am content not because of what I have done or am doing but because of the power of the love that encompasses me from Jesus Christ.  So, as those waves of life do come over me, I can always sing; “Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul!”

Please share what song, hymn or melody do you hold near and dear to your heart?