It is Well with My Soul

There is a hymn that has anchored believers for generations, and it’s one of my absolute favorites: It Is Well With My Soul.

If you know the background of how that song came to be, the words become even more powerful. It was written by a man named Horatio Spafford in the late 1800s. He was a successful lawyer who lost his young son to disease, and shortly after, lost almost everything he owned in the Great Chicago Fire. Desperate to give his family a break, he planned a boat trip to Europe. He stayed behind for business and sent his wife and four daughters ahead.

On the Atlantic Ocean, their ship collided with another vessel and sank. His wife survived, but all four of his daughters drowned. Spafford immediately caught the next ship to reach his grieving wife. As his boat passed the exact spot where his daughters had died, the captain called him over to tell him. It was in that moment of unimaginable heartbreak, staring out at the deep ocean water, that Spafford sat down and wrote: "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."

We all go through hard things. My own trials are nowhere near the unimaginable grief that Spafford faced, but pain is pain, and we all have seasons that threaten to overwhelm us.

When I think about deep wounds and the journey to peace, I often think about rescue dogs. We have all seen or heard the heartbreaking stories of dogs who have been abused, neglected, or completely abandoned. Yet, when they are taken in, protected, and truly loved, something miraculous happens—they heal. They learn to let their guard down and they become the most incredible, loyal family dogs.

Over the years, I’ve had numerous rescue dogs, but my current girl is Milly. When I adopted her 9 months ago, she was so paralyzed by fear that she had actually been scheduled for euthanasia.

Today, she is still afraid. She still jumps at the smallest sound. But day by day, she is learning to trust us. She is finding her courage because we show up for her every single day with consistency and stability. She’s realizing she doesn't have to protect herself anymore.

Watching Milly slowly let her guard down reminds me so much of our own walk with God. Just like a fearful rescue dog has to learn that her new home is safe, we have to learn to stop running from our past and rest in the safety of our Creator.

Life can feel like a storm, but Jesus is as constant as the ocean waves. Think about the beach. The waves never stop. They are strong, steady, and entirely predictable. No matter how bad the storm is, the tide always returns. Jesus is that constant for us. When the world feels overwhelming and our circumstances are shifting like sand under our feet, His love and His promises remain.

He offers us a peace that passes all human understanding. And honestly? We can’t understand it. How could Spafford write those words over the watery grave of his children? Humanly speaking, it makes no sense. We don't have to understand it; we just have to accept it. We have to lean into His consistency and trust Him, exactly like Milly is learning to trust me. She doesn't understand why the world was mean to her before, but she knows she is safe in my arms now.

When we finally stop fighting the waves and rest in the stability of Jesus, the storm inside us settles. We can look at the horizon, breathe deep, and know that we are safe in the arms of Jesus.

While the opening of the song paints a picture of the sea billows rolling, my absolute favorite verse in this hymn captures exactly why we can rest:

"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!"

When you really stop and think about it, that is a glorious thought. My sin was nailed to the cross because Jesus took it all upon Himself. He stood in our place, bore the weight of every mistake, and was nailed to that wood so that we wouldn't have to carry the burden of guilt anymore. Because of Him, I am completely forgiven. Praise the Lord! No matter what waves are crashing around me in life, that truth never changes. When we trust in Him, we can truly look out at any horizon and say, It is well with my soul.