Many of you know the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul.” It has always been one of my favorites as I was listening to it the other day, the story behind it came up and I would love to share it with you. The song was written by a successful Christian lawyer, Heratio Spafford. His only son died at age 4 in 1871. In 1872, the great Chicago fire wiped out his vast estate, made from a successful legal career. In 1873, he sent his wife & four daughters over to Europe on a summer trip on the ill-fated SS Ville du Havre. Since he had a lot of work to do, he planned to follow them later. The Ship sank and he lost his 4 daughters with the wife being the only survivor. She sent him a famous telegram which simply read, “SAVED ALONE….” On his return home, his law firm was burned down and the insurance company refused to pay him. He had no money to pay for his house and no work, so he lost his home. Then one day while sitting peacefully and thinking about what’s happening to him, he wrote a song – “Whatever, my Lord, You have taught me to say – It is well, it is well with my soul.”
My dear friends, a good attitude will determine your attitude. When you look at your soul, your life, career, family life, what do you say? Do you praise God? Do you feel the need to blame someone when things go wrong? I want to challenge you to sit down today and say, “Today, God, it is well with my soul. I am thankful I had a peaceful sleep. I am thankful I am alive with possibilities. I am thankful I have a roof over me. I am thankful I have a job. I am thankful that I have family and friends. Above all, I am thankful that I have the Lord Jesus Christ on my side.” Thank God for what you have. Thank God when you have little and when you have an abundance. I know we are all in a season of uncertainty and maybe feeling a little negativity because of it. We long for this season to be over and to return to our ‘normal lives’ but we can use this period for good, for purpose. I have a sign in my office that says ‘Today is a good day to have a good day” and that’s what I have chosen to preach to myself lately. Just like Heratio did when things were rocky, we too should praise God in the midst. We have the eternal hope of Jesus. That doesn’t make every day easy or stop tribulations from coming. We know that He is good, He is on our side, and we have so much to be thankful for even on our worst days. “What, then, shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31
Little is much when God is in it.
It Is Well With My Soul!
Rachel
