Psalm 23 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 146:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. 1 Corinthians 13:7 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Romans 5:6-8 For when we were yet
without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For
scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a
good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 11:1,2
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a
good report.
When peace like a river attendeth
my way It is well, with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though
trials should come, It is well, with my soul. My sin, oh, the bliss of this
glorious thought! It is well, with my soul. For me, be it
Christ, be it Christ hence to live: It is well,
with my soul. But, Lord, ‘tis
for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, It is well,
with my soul. And Lord, haste the day when my
faith shall be sight, It is well, with my soul. lyrics Horatio G. Spafford 1873 music "S.S. Ville du Havre" by Phillip P. Bliss 1876
Horatio Spafford was a wealthy businessman who was financially ruined by the Chicago Fire in October 1871. After the fire, Horatio and his wife, Anna, worked hard to help the survivors. On November 2, 1873, his wife and all four daughters were crossing the Atlantic Ocean to England when their ocean liner, the S.S. Ville du Havre, collided with another ship, the Lochearn. Anna, sent him a now famous telegram that read only, "Saved alone." Horatio left for England to be with his wife, and while passing near the spot where his daughters died he was inspired to write the words above. His grief, though great, was still less than his faith. It is inspiring to observe that Spafford's faith does not rely on what or how he "feels." Rather, he writes, "Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul."! In 1881, Horatio and Anna moved to Jerusalem with two new daughters and other Americans followed them. They helped to found a group there called the "American Colony." The group desired to live a simple religious life and help the poor in the holy city. The building which housed the colony, became the present-day American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem. Selma Lagerlof, from Sweden, later won a Nobel Prize for a novel loosely based on the American Colony entitled Jerusalem. Phillip P. Bliss wrote the melody in 1876, three years after Spafford had penned the lyrics. He titled the melody "S.S. Ville du Havre" after the name of the ship on which Spafford's daughters died. Bliss and his wife died in 1876 (shortly after writing this music) when a bridge near Ashtabula, Ohio collapsed under the train they were riding. It is said that Bliss survived the initial crash, but died in the subsequent fire, when he rushed into the flames looking for his wife. The several remains from the wreck, and subsequent fire, were placed in a common grave in Ashtabula. The red verses are not found in the UMH. |
