For the past couple of weeks now I've had an old hymn running through my mind. It is "It Is Well with My Soul" by Horatio Spafford. We sang it in church one Sunday and ever since then I've been finding bits of it popping into my head at random times through the day. Does that happen to you too? It bugs me when it happens with songs I don't like, but thankfully, I like this one.
The simplified gist of the song says that no matter what happens in life, everything is okay with my soul. It doesn't say that life is perfect or that nothing ever goes wrong. In fact, it says "when sorrows like sea billows roll" and "though trials should come" still, even then, "it is well with my soul."
It's not that the song makes light of those hard times, either. 'Sorrows like sea billows' makes me think of overwhelming sadness, which makes sense since Spafford wrote the hymn after losing four daughters when their ship sank. He had previously lost a son and suffered financial loss after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The man knew what it meant to have sorrows like sea billows roll through his life.
So how could he, and how can we, say "it is well with my soul"? The answer lies in verse 2, which says, "That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul." Jesus died for us. He didn't die to keep us from the sorrows and trials of this world, which are all part of living in a sinful world, but He died to make our souls well.
We can't escape the troubles of life. Being a Christian is no guarantee of a perfect, problem-free life. Jesus even said, "In this world you will have trouble" (John 16:33). We shouldn't be surprised when bad things happen, even to good people, because it's all part of living in a world where sin runs rampant.
But that's not the end of the story. Jesus died to free us from the mastery of sin, to bring us back into eternal life with God. "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 3:13,14). And that is why it is well with our souls. No matter what life may throw at us, nothing can take away the redemption and the forgiveness of sins given to us through faith in Jesus as our savior.
The most important question of all, then, is this: Is it well with your soul? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins? If you do, then, no matter what, your soul is secure in Him. If you don't, nothing else I write here can make your soul well. There is no way to be enough of a 'good person' without Jesus.
If it is not well with your soul and you'd like to learn more about Jesus, feel free to ask questions in the comments, or email them to me: devotedquilter at gmail dot com. I would love for it to be well with your soul too 😊
Thank you for your post today. It is particularly meaningful today because I just found out that my best friend of 65+ years passed away this afternoon from colon cancer. I have known that she was getting weaker and weaker and have been praying for her unceasingly. Oh how I will miss her. How appropriate for me to review my emails and find your posting.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite songs. :)
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