HYMN STORIES: “It Is Well with My Soul”

This Sunday we will be singing "It Is Well with My Soul" whose lyrics were written by Horatio Spafford after tremendous personal loss. Horatio was a Chicago lawyer and businessman. He had lost his young son to scarlet fever, and shortly after, his investments were wiped out in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire.

In 1873, Spafford planned a trip to Europe with his wife, Anna, and their four daughters (Annie, Maggie, Bessie, and Tanetta) He was delayed by business, so his family went ahead on the SS Ville du Havre. On November 22, 1873, the ship collided with an iron vessel and sank in just 12 minutes.      

            Anna Spafford survived the sinking, but all four daughters drowned. Upon reaching Cardiff, Wales, Anna sent a telegram to her husband with the devastating words: "Saved alone, what shall I do?".

While traveling to meet his grieving wife, the captain of the ship informed Spafford that they were passing over the spot where his daughters had died. In a remarkable display of faith amidst profound sorrow, Spafford was inspired to write, "When peace like a river, attendeth my way, / When sorrows like sea billows roll... It is well, it is well, with my soul".

The hymn was later set to music by Philip Bliss, who named the tune "Ville du Havre" after the sunken ship. The song remains a powerful testament to finding peace in God's sovereignty despite severe personal tragedy. 

Lindrew Johnson