Horatio Spafford – It Is Well With My Soul

Horatio Gates Spafford had two professions in his life: American lawyer and Presbyterian church elder.  He also had eight children and a loving wife: Anna Spafford.  The inspiration behind It Is Well With My Soul comes from personal loss.

Two years after losing his four-year-old son to pneumonia, Spafford sent his wife and four remaining daughters to England on vacation, intending for them to meet his friend evangelist Dwight L. Moody.  He planned to meet them there at a later time, finishing up his business in America.  Boarding the steamship Ville du Havre, his family’s ship hit another vessel in the Atlantic, causing 226 people to lose their life.  Included in the death toll were all four of Spafford’s daughters.  Horatio’s wife survived the incident and received the tragic news via telegram.  The telegram was titled “Saved alone”.

Horatio Spafford boarded another vessel and wrote this hymn on his journey to England, where he would rejoin his wife and mourn over the loss of his daughters.

Later in life, he had three other children, including a son who also died of Scarlet fever, though at the age of three.  He left the Presbyterian church to pursue other religious interests, including prayer meetings in his home and philanthropic work in Jerusalem, helping to found the American Colony.  It was here that he adopted Jacob Eliahu and would live out the rest of his life.

These lyrics, combined with the tune written by Phillip Bliss, have gained wide acceptance amongst Christians, with several artists either partially covering or writing around its refrain (e.g.; Soul’s Anthem), often shortened to It Is Well.

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1. What message does the song communicate?

The message of this song contains several themes.

It starts with a declarative, that seasonal shifts in life ought not rob us of the joy God brings to our lives.  The peace that God offers is not outwardly (Matthew 10:34-36), though let the reader understand that we should still find peace with others if possible (Romans 12:18).  The peace that God grants to us is inwardly.  It is this internal joy in which we can proclaim: it is well with my soul, repeated in the refrain after each verse.

Verse 2 offers a similar sentiment, acting as a bridge between satan’s attacks that aligns with the ideas in Verse 1 and our first introduction to the Gospel that exists in Verse 3.

Verse 3 pushes salvation into the forefront, describing Colossians 2:14 in vivid detail and invoking a tearful emotional response to believers everywhere.

Verse 4 brings us back to the roots of Verse 1, focusing more on personal suffering in juxtaposition to inward peace.

Verses 5 and 6 are apocalyptic in nature, describing Christ’s glorious return and ushering in His eternal reign, where we will join Him and find blissful rest.

Each verse brings us back to the repeated refrain, showcasing various reasons why we can shout it is well with my soul.  The elegance of the refrain lies within its simplicity, striking a perfect balance between poetry and overreliance on repetition.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

This song is public domain.  I added verse and refrain designations to clarify each stanza.

[Verse 1]

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;

This covers two sides of life’s spectrum: peace and tragedy and provides a lead-in for the main point of this verse.

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Regardless of our season in life (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8), God teaches us to find internal peace in Jesus (John 14:27, John 16:29-33, Romans 5:1, Ephesians 2:14-15, and Colossians 3:15).

The last line  is based on 3 John 1:2.

[Refrain]

 It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Expanded form of Verse 1, line 4.

[Verse 2]

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,

No, Satan is not gorging himself at Golden Corral.  Rather, he strikes repeatedly with relentless attack, prowling about like a hungry lion (1 Peter 5:8).

Despite this onslaught, along with expected trials and tribulations (Psalm 66:8-12, Acts 14:22, Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4, and 1 Peter 1:5-9), this assurance of internal peace grants God control over our lives (Psalm 27:1, Psalm 94:19, Luke 12:22-26, John 3:30, and Philippians 4:6-7).

That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is through Jesus’ blood that brings about salvation, resulting in internal peace (Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 9:22, 1 Peter 1:2, and 1 Peter 1:18-19).

[Verse 3]

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

I love the way that Spafford articulates salvation!  It is not some sins that are nailed to the cross.  It is the entire certificate of debt that was paid for (Colossians 2:14).  Christ bore it so that we don’t have to anymore.  What is our response?  Praise and worship!  With a tear or two in our eyes.

Excuse me while I weep bitterly…

[Verse 4]

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

References first part of Philippians 1:21.

If Jordan above me shall roll,

At first, I thought this referenced Jesus’ calming of the storm in Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25; However, this occurred on the Sea of Galilee.  Jordan is a stand-in for all bodies of water, which shares the same concepts as Verse 1, line 2.

No pain shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

The sorrow we experience now is overshadowed by God’s nudgings and reminders of His internal peace, bringing us back to the refrain once again.

[Verse 5]

But Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Our focus is on heaven, where our citizenship belongs (Philippians 3:20).

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Serves as an introductory to Verse 6.

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

See commentary in Verse 1, lines 3 and 4.

[Verse 6]

And Lord haste the day, when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

when Christ returns on a cloud, the same way that He left (Mark 13:26-27, Acts 1:11, and Revelation 1:7), at the sound of the final trumpet, the Lord will begin to make His return to earth (1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, and Revelation 11:15).

Even so, it is well with my soul.

Saved from the wrath of God, we can enjoy eternal bliss with Him forever (Revelation 21:1-4).

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

At this point in time, I am almost certain that anyone who has remotely heard of this song knows it to be Christian in nature.  If the lyrics, which explicitly uses the name “Christ” on more than one occasion is not enough, the obvious references to cross, nails, Satan, sin, and “Praise the Lord” should dissipate any remaining thought that it may have a differing interpretation.  Yes, the language is churchy; However, there is so much common language terminology that unbelievers should easily figure this one out, despite its Ye Olde English style.

Score: 10/10

4. What does this song glorify?

God.  It glorifies God.  Need I say more?

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Horatio Spafford’s It Is Well With My Soul is among the most beautifully written and emotionally stirring songs I have ever reviewed.  It assimilates rationale for God’s peace indwelling within us, fusing joy, loss, hardship, pain, death, demonic attacks, and Christ’s twice triumphant victory, each connecting to the repeated refrain. Unbelievers will find interpretation easy to comprehend, regardless of linguistic choice.

If this song does not completely and utterly glorify God, I do not know what will.

Final Score: 10/10

Artist Info

Track: It Is Well With My Soul (my all-time favorite version is from Selah, with Kutless as my second)

Artist: Horatio Spafford

Album: N/A

Genre: Hymn

Release Year: 1873

Duration: N/A

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Updates:

10/16/2020 – Made a few grammatical changes to section 2 that doesn’t affect the overall content or rating of this review.