Do you know the history of these well known words on this sign? I didn't, so I did a little research and this is what I found.
"In 1871, Horatio Spafford, a prosperous lawyer and devout Christian, and his wife, Anna, were living comfortably with their four young daughters in Lake View, Chicago.
In that year the great fire broke out which devastated the entire city. For the next two years Horatio and Anna devoted their time to welfare work amongst the refugees of the fire.
By November 1873 the Spaffords needed some respite and decided to join friends in Europe but just before their departure Horatio was detained on business. Anna and their four daughters were persuaded to set off without him but en route tragedy struck. The steamship they were traveling on, the Ville du Havre, sank after colliding with another ship in mid-ocean.
Of the hundreds on board, Anna was one of only 27 who were rescued having been kept afloat by a piece of debris. Her daughters did not survive. Overcome with despair at the loss of her children, Anna felt strongly that she had been saved for a purpose.
In Chicago, Horatio received a tragic telegram from his wife: ‘Saved alone.’
Setting off to bring Anna home, he crossed the Atlantic and the watery grave of his four daughters. Moved by the experience he wrote a hymn, ‘IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL’, which expressed his faith. The hymn remains one of the most popular Christian hymns in the USA.
“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” (http://www.spaffordcenter.org/history)
What an amazing lesson Horatio has left for us! Despite all that life can throw at us, we are in good hands and we can still say it is well with my soul!
It is Well with my Soul
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