There is a sticking point for people who lean toward agnosticism, who may want to believe in a good and benevolent God, but can’t get past the presence of suffering. For all the writing and speaking I’ve done on the topic of suffering, I admit, I grapple with it, as well. The oft-used objection to orthodox Christianity, how a loving God would allow people to suffer, trips me up sometimes.
When my faith wavers, and the challenges and controversies of the world lead me to doubt, I am reminded to consider the alternatives. Is there any religion or philosophy that offers more hope and is steeped in more love than Christianity? I am compelled to ask, as did Peter in John 6:68, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life?”
Few knew this better than Horatio Spafford, writer of the beloved and extolled hymn, “It is Well With My Soul.”
Spafford lived in a suburb of Chicago in the late 19th century with his wife and four young daughters. He was a man of means, happy in his life, and a committed Christian who opened his home to contemporary theologians who came to Chicago to take part in the revival there.
In 1871, the Spaffords lost nearly everything in the Great Chicago fire. Wishing to find respite from the tragedy, the family booked passage on a ship to England. At the last minute, Horatio was called to a business emergency, but decided to send his wife and daughters ahead. He would join them soon after.
Halfway across the Atlantic, the ship carrying his family was struck by a British iron sailing vessel, sinking it in twelve minutes. His wife was among the 81 people rescued, but his four daughters perished. When Anna Spafford arrived in England, she telegraphed her husband, “Saved alone. What shall I do?”
Spafford immediately boarded a ship for England to bring his wife home. On that voyage, the captain summoned Spafford to inform him they were sailing over the spot where his family’s ship had gone down. It was then Horatio penned the words to “It is Well With My Soul.”
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.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath 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.
Reflect
Read the following Scriptures:
When trial, anxiety, and even tragedy buffet, how does God comfort and assure us?
Author Ann Voskamp wrote, “Our worlds reel unless we rejoice. A song of thanks steadies everything. The answer to anxiety is the adoration of Christ.”
Read the following Scriptures:
What is the countermeasure against anxiety?
Read the following Scriptures:
What are we called to as we rejoice, praise, and adore our Lord?
What might that look like in your daily life?
Read the following Scriptures:
What is another weapon against fear and anxiety?
What does it mean to “fear the Lord?”
Joshua 21:45 declares, “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises failed; every one was fulfilled.” Horatio Spafford was sure of this when he was heard speaking of God’s kindness in allowing him to see his daughters in heaven one day. When it seems like God is silent, or his actions cruel, when anxiety or grief crowds out the hope which yesterday filled your heart but now seems elusive, meditate on, drink in, inundate your weary mind and soul with as many of God’s promises as you can find. Devour them, and claim them as your own.
Read the following Scriptures and list the promises you find there. Write a personal response to Christ that only he will read.
Pray
Dear Father, thank you so much for your promises, which never fail. Thank you for your Holy Spirit, who enables us to praise you in the midst of unspeakable tragedy and in the daily trials of our lives. Lord, I declare to you this day that I know you are good, your Word is absolutely true, and you are more than sufficient.
Amen