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.
It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul.
From It is Well with My Soul by Horatio G. Spafford
Amazingly, Horatio G. Spafford wrote these lyrics in the midst of suffering a tragic loss. Spafford a wealthy lawyer of Chicago, Illinois had decided that his family should take a vacation to England but he was delayed in business so he sent his wife Anna and their four daughters aged 11, 9, 4, and 2 ahead. In November 1873, as they crossed the Atlantic, their ship collided with an iron ship and 226 people lost their lives, including all four of Spafford’s daughters. Only 27 people survived, including Anna Spafford. Anna sent a telegram to her husband stating, “Saved alone.” Spafford sailed to England to meet his wife, traveling over the exact location where his daughters died. Bertha Spafford Vesta, a daughter born after this tragedy said that her father wrote It is Well with My Soul during this journey.
I can’t help but shed tears every time I reflect on this story and consider this well-known hymn. What faith and peace with God this man must have had to travel over the place where his daughters likely drowned to write, “When sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.”
This morning I awakened around 3am and happened to look at the clock at 3:33am. I was prompted to look up the third chapter and verse of the third book of the bible, which is Leviticus 3:3. This passage of Scripture deals with the Peace offering. In short, I have learned that the Peace Offering signifies an act of thanksgiving, the fulfillment of a special vow with the Lord, and a freewill offering. Peace is wholeness, completeness and the peace offering is an acknowledgment of the peace we have with God, His acceptance of us, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing that God is at peace with us.
I acknowledge that when Jesus offered Himself for us all, He became our Peace offering. Because of His life in us, we can walk in peace with others and we can truly know that It is Well because we are accepted by God and are in covenant with Him.
Will you reflect with me on the peace of God today?
Read 1 Samuel 1 – Hannah fulfilled her vow to the Lord and gave an offering when He answered her prayer, giving her a son.
For more about Horatio G. Spafford, visit http://www.spaffordcenter.org/history.
