Click on picture to listen to the cell phone choir
I got this sent to me today and was so blessed by it. Think of the times that we are living in- totally out of reality of anything we have ever experienced- maybe in our nation’s history. This display is an overwhelming display of the American spirit - in ingenuity, for sure, and in what I believe is our core values. The history of this hymn is as follows:
“It Is Well With My Soul” is a hymn written by Horatio Gates Spafford, a prominent American lawyer, Presbyterian church elder and hymnist, following the tragic events in his life.
Horatio Spafford was married to Anna Larsen from Norway. Aside from being a prominent lawyer, he and his wife were also close friends of evangelist Dwight Moody. The Spaffords were quite popular in Chicago in the 1860’s but they were no strangers to tragedy. They invested in real estate, north of the city. However, this was taken away from them during the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871. Prior to the great fire that same year, the Spaffords suffered the loss of their 4-year-old son to Scarlet fever.
In a desire to give his family a time to rest, they planned a trip to Europe. However, due to an unexpected business need, Horatio needed to stay behind for a few days while his wife and 4 daughters sail ahead via the French ocean liner, Ville du Havre, on November 21, 1873.
Four days after the ship departed crossing the Atlantic, it collided with a sea vessel, the Loch Earn. It was reported that Anna took their daughters to the deck where they knelt and prayed to God for their life to be spared. The ship sank in 12 minutes carrying with it 226 passengers including Haratio and Anna’s children. Unfortunately, only Anna survived among his family.
The rescue brought Anna to Cardiff, Wales after 9 days. She sent a telegram to her husband saying, “Saved alone, what shall I do?”. Not long after Horatio sailed out to join his grieving wife. As he passed near where his daughters died, he penned “It Is Well With My Soul”.
This history, gives even greater depth of hope to what we are going through as a country. We will get through this— and I believe emerge stronger and more grounded in the things that really matter. May it be well with your soul. Linda
Chapel On The Lake is a non-denominational Christian church here on the shores of Lake Erie. We focus on reaching people with the practical and saving message of Jesus Christ. We are contemporary in worship style and want to know and live out God's Word as we share it with those on the peninsula and you who visit it.
