HYMN "IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL"

Horatio Gates Spafford
1828-1888

Born: October 20, 1828, North Troy, New York.
Died: October 16, 1888, Jerusalem, Israel, of malaria.

HYMN HISTORY:

This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song titled, 'It is well with my soul', you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words, "When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.

Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only
son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.

Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in late 1873.

And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned. He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: "Saved alone."

On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being
torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her,
"You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers
was.

It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.

No matter what circumstances overtake us may we be able to say with Horatio Spafford...

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!

It is well ... with my soul!
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The source of Mr. Spafford's strength is an open secret. It is available to you and will enable you to live victoriously. It is found first of all in forgiveness of sins.

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!

To know one's sins are forgiven brings great release, for "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9 He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west and buries them in the deepest seas.

Another source of strength is the knowledge that God works all things together for good to them that love Him (Romans 8:28). God's unfailing love enables us to be masters of our circumstances, instead of its victim.

Finally, the sure hope of the resurrection is an unbound source of strength. The hope of reunion with loved ones, the joy of seeing our Lord face to face supply strength enough and to spare to face all of life's trials and fill us with "joy unspeakable and full of glory" 1 Peter 1:8.

Is it well with your soul?

God be with You till we meet again,

Tom & Myra
www.biblestudycharts.com

“I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE” – JESUS CHRIST
Text: John 6:25-59

Deuteronomy 8:3 – “that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.”

Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”

INTRODUCTION: Bread is food for the body, that is, physical bread made of flour and other necessary ingredients. One can live literally on bread alone from day to day and physically live. The people in the context of John 6 where those who experienced the feeding of the five thousand excluding women & children .

They wanted for the LORD to continually supply and feed them with loaves of bread . They did not understand Him when He said: “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE”. He meant another kind of Bread, that is, spiritual bread, that is able to meet man’s greatest need, the need for their sins to be forgiven, to become rightly related with the LORD, become God’s children, and receive the gift of eternal life, the assurance of heaven as one’s eternal abode after physical death. This is the end result of one who “eats” The Bread of Life, even the LORD Jesus Christ!

Yet, this is not what the LORD obviously meant when He said: “Man shall not live by bread alone.” He was not referring to loaves of bread baked out of the oven. What He meant was about “Spiritual Bread”, the kind that produces a relationship between a Holy God and Sinful Man and grants eternal life to the one who “partakes” of this “Spiritual Bread”.

NOW WHAT IS THIS BREAD?

1) This “spiritual bread” which is the “True Bread” comes from heaven. And
the Source of this True Bread is God the Father (John 6:32);

2) This “Spiritual Bread” is the bread of God, who cometh down from heaven, and
giveth life unto the world
(John 6:33 cp v. 38, 50 & 58);

3) John 6:35 - Identifies WHO the Bread of Life is! No other than The LORD Jesus
Christ is “The Bread of Life” by His own admission and declaration when He
said: I AM the Bread of Life;

4) To partake of the Bread of Life ,who is the LORD Jesus Christ, is to “BELIVE
ON HIM, that is, on Jesus Christ! Such belief on the LORD Jesus Christ results in
a person having everlasting life (John 6:40 cp v. 47);

5) This Bread of Life, who is the LORD Jesus Christ, is The Living Bread!
The person who “eats” this Living Bread” shall live forever (John 6:51);

6) In John 6:56 & 58 – the LORD SAID: “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my
blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”

The person who “EATS” this Spiritual Bread, which is the True Bread of Life, the Living Bread, who is the LORD JESUS, is the person who BELIEVES ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AS ONE’S PERSONAL SAVIOR AND LORD! (Mark 1:15; John 1:12-13; 3:16-18; 36; 5:24; 14:6; Acts 3:19; 4:12; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:8-10).

Such authentic, genuine and true belief on the LORD Jesus Christ results in a changed and transformed life. The person becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17); a follower of the LORD, thus becoming a disciple of the LORD Jesus Christ and a student of His Precious Pure Words, the Holy Bible, for the rest of one’s physical life.

ALL SCRIPTURES FROM THE KJBible!