“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15, NKJV).
The following is excerpted and condensed from the website https://happyhymnody.wordpress.com. I hope you find it encouraging.
On the 15th of November 1873, the luxurious passenger ship,
Ville Du Havre, left Chicago for Europe with 313 passengers
and crew aboard. She carried with her, Horatio Spafford’s wife
Anna, their four daughters, Annie (11), Margaret (9), Elizabeth
(5), Tanetta (2), as well as Mademoiselle Nicolet, who was a
friend of Anna’s and a governess for the girls, Willie Culver, a
12 year old boy who was being sent to visit his grandparents
in Germany, and Mrs. Goodwin, friend and neighbor to the
family, with her three children. Horatio Spafford planned this
trip hoping it would be a blessing to the health of his dear wife
Anna. The Spaffords had encountered great hardships in the
years prior. Horatio, a successful lawyer, professor, business
man and layman at his church, had invested in a large amount
of real estate in Chicago just before the Great Chicago fire in
October of 1871. Aside from the devastating loss of 300 lives,
the fire destroyed three square blocks of the city including
over 17,000 structures, as well as all of Horatio’s real estate
investments and his law office. Even amidst the massive
financial debt incurred from their loss, Horatio found a way to
give his family a holiday in Europe. Just before their trip,
opportunity arose for Horatio to sell off some of the land from
among the fire-damaged properties so he decided to stay behind and
join his family after the business was taken care of.
In the early morning hours of November 22, 1873, the Ville Du Havre
was struck head on by the Loch Earn, a Scottish iron ship. Chaos and
terror filled every corner of the sinking vessel. Anna wrote of her
experience to a friend: “The dear children were so brave. They died
praying. Annie said to Maggie and me just before we were swept
off the steamer, “Don’t be frightened, Maggie, God will take care of us,
we can trust Him; and you know, Mama, ‘The sea is His and He made it.’”
These were her last words. Maggie and Bessie prayed very sweetly.”
The Ville Du Havre went down just 12 minutes after the terrible crash.
Only 87 souls survived, taking refuge on the damaged Loch
Earn and subsequently on the Trimountain, which carried most
of the survivors to Cardiff, Wales. As soon as she was able,
Anna sent a telegram to her husband saying, “Saved alone.
What shall I do,” and told of the the loss of the children, Mrs. Goodwin,
and Willie Culver, saying she would go with Rev. Lorriaux to Paris.
Both singer and hymn writer Ira D. Sankey along with revivalist
and pastor Dwight L. Moody, came to comfort the Spaffords in the
wake of the tragedy. On one of his visits several years after the event,
Ira Sankey recalled Horatio taking pen to paper to write the lines
of “It is Well With My Soul.” (end quote)
It is certainly a beloved song for many, and I find it even more encouraging knowing that
it was born out of such tragedy. There is much more to the Spafford’s story and my questions
about some of the things they taught, but regardless, this stands as one of the great American hymns.
Christianity is not a Pollyanna religion; it deals with all aspects of life. Our God is God on
the mountaintops and in the deepest valleys of despair. This is seen in the quote from
Job above. Despite such intense suffering, Job knew God was ultimately in control and
ultimately to be trusted in all things. No matter the difficulties in your life today, know that
you can trust your Heavenly Father that by trusting in Him, all can be well with your soul.
It is part of His provision for His children. May God bless us with such faith.
—John Ostic
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