It Is Well with My Soul

"It Is Well with My Soul"

The Story Behind the Hymn Quoted from Wikipedia:

"It Is Well with My Soul" is a very influential hymn penned by hymnist Horatio Spafford and composed by Philip Bliss.

This hymn was written after several traumatic events in Spafford’s life. The first was the death of his only son in 1871, shortly followed by the great Chicago Fire which ruined him financially (he had been a successful lawyer). Then in 1873, he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the S.S. Ville du Havre, but sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone." Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.

Bliss called his tune Ville du Havre, from the name of the stricken vessel.

The Spaffords later had three more children, one of whom (a son) died in infancy. In 1881 the Spaffords, including baby Bertha and newborn Grace, set sail for Palestine. The Spaffords moved to Jerusalem and helped found a group called the American Colony; its mission was to serve the poor. The colony later became the subject of the Nobel prize winning Jerusalem, by Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlöf.

My Story:

When my husband, Bobby, died after suffering five years of paralysis caused by a variant of Guillain Barre Syndrome, I thought about all the meaningful hymns he used to play in church on his trumpet. Since this was one of my favorites, I decided to ask the congregation to sing it, and Mickey Cloud, the music minister, listed it in the funeral program. Most of the men who were pall bearers at his funeral were musicians. All of them sang beautifully. I wish I had a recording of those men and the congregation, including former music students, singing "It Is Well with My Soul." It was one of the most touching performances of it I've ever heard.

After all we went through, my family and I could truly say, "It Is Well with My Soul" because we understood it was and is well with Bobby Cheatham's soul. Bobby had such a special gift that I believe God was ready to call him home to join in the music of heaven praising the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.


And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.