HYMN STORIES: The Songs We Sing
“Make It Well”
This week in the 10:00am service we will sing together MercyMe’s song “Make It Well.” This modern take of “It is Well” was born out of frontman Bart Millard’s realization that during times of tragedy, singing the classic hymn “It Is Well with My Soul” can feel dishonest when your soul isn’t well. He wrote the lyric as an honest cry for the Holy Spirit’s help. Rethinking the Hymn: Millard realized that at funerals and in his darkest seasons—including navigating the realities of his son’s chronic illness—he couldn’t truthfully declare “It is well”. He decided to change the phrase into a plea: “Make It Well”.
Co-written with Tim Timmons and Ethan Hulse, the song serves as an anthem for those in the middle of a struggle who need to lean into God’s presence rather than pretend they are okay. Instead of a confident declaration, the song focuses on depending on God to soften a hardened heart and provide a reason to praise, even while the storm is raging.
There are moments in life when worship doesn’t sound like confidence—it sounds like a cry. In those seasons when our hearts are heavy, our circumstances are unresolved, and faith feels fragile. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18). Sometimes the most faithful prayer we can pray isn’t a demanding “fix this,” but a humble request for the Lord’s presence in the pain. The song captures this beautifully with the plea, “Jesus, could you please / Just sit and cry with me”.
What comfort to know that we serve a Savior who wept (John 11:35), who understands sorrow firsthand, and who doesn’t rush us through grief. The chorus anchors the song in truth even when emotions are unsteady: “Whatever my lot / You are still my God”. That declaration isn’t rooted in ease—it’s rooted in trust. This echoes Job’s unwavering faith in the midst of suffering: “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.” (Job 13:15)
Faith isn’t pretending the storm isn’t raging. Faith is holding onto who God is while it rages. The song even calls on Jesus as the One whose “voice… calms the sea”, pointing us back to that familiar story in the gospels, when Jesus spoke peace into chaos with a word. (Mark 4:35- 41) While He has the power to bring peace to the angry seas around us, sometimes He chooses instead to speak peace into our hearts.
One of the most honest moments in the song is the request: “Keep this heart from hardening like stone / Show me through the pain / There’s reason still to praise”. Suffering has a way of either softening us or sealing us off. Scripture invites us to accept what God offers in Ezekiel 36:26, to replace hearts of stone with hearts of flesh. Praise doesn’t always come easily—but when we’re clinging to Him, it comes eventually. And until then, we trust that God is still at work, even in the silence. And until that day, we keep praying: “Make it Well with my Soul.”
Shared by Lindrew Johnson, Director of Worship
