The Example of Horatio G. Spafford

After an explosion of posts and many ideas for post topics (many of which are still documented and will appear sometime soon), I took a few days to break from the blog. But it turned out to be, for me, an incredibly helpful time, and one that I'm sure will certainly help keep me going emotionally and spiritually for a while.

Because of so many things happening to me over the last several months (I'd say over the last 14 months, to be specific), I've really been dragging. My mind hurts, as I ponder the future. As you've seen, I love working in information security, but what of my plans for a Ph.D. in linguistics? What of going into business with my dad? Do I stay in Colorado or move to Oklahoma? Along with these concerns, my heart aches, with the difficulties I'm experiencing. The divorce and the resulting emotional and financial turmoil (and again, uncertainty for my future) have taken a terrible toll. The first week of this year was one of the most difficult I've faced in my entire life.

Then, late last week, I had a mental discussion with God. As He is often wont to do, he pointed a few things out to me. First, there are many folks in my life, many very close to me or only a degree or two removed, who are in the midst of issues much more serious and life-changing than mine. A gentleman from my church has his leg amputated above the knee right around Christmas, and is still in ICU battling out the complications. Some very good friends are facing and extremely difficult legal problem, one that could change their lives forever. Another good friend is experiencing a seemingly endless line of safes dropping on her poor head; every day, she wakes up to a new challenge. I had my kids this weekend, always a great experience for me. I'm always so happy when I'm with my children. Then, in church today, during the Prayers of the People, the lector read the names of all the people we're praying for, including the sick, the dying, the recently dead, those serving overseas in the military, those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, those with newborn babies...and a name came into my head, one I hadn't thought about in a long time: Horatio G. Spafford.

You might not know this name, and if you weren't raised in the Southern Baptist church you probably REALLY don't. Horatio G. Spafford wrote my favorite hymn, the immortal "It Is Well With My Soul." The lyrics have always demonstrated what is, to me, the ideal of Christian behavior in all times, good and bad. Though I haven't heard the song in ages, I can still hear it in my head:

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!”

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought—
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to His Cross, and I bear it no more;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when the 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”

The lyrics alone are powerful, powerful enough that even as I child, I always pondered their meaning deeply. But even more powerful is the story behind these lyrics. Courtesy of hymns.net, here is the true story of Horatio G. Spafford:

Horatio G. Spafford was known as a sincere, devout Christian. He was the father of four daughters, an active member of the Presbyterian church, and a loyal friend and supporter of D. L. Moody and other evangelical leaders of his day.

In November 1873, Spafford decided to take his entire family to Europe for a vacation, intending also to assist Moody in his evangelistic work once he arrived there. However, Spafford was unexpectedly detained in Chicago due to urgent business concerns, but decided to send his family aboard the S.S. Ville du Harve as scheduled. Midway through the trans-Atlantic voyage, S.S. Ville du Harve was struck by the English vessel Loch Earn and eventually foundered. Spafford's four daughters—Anna, eleven; Maggie, nine; Bessie, seven; and Tanetta, two—were among the 226 who perished in the aftermath. Mrs. Spafford, one of the few who were spared, sent her husband the heartbreaking telegram: “Saved alone.”

Spafford immediately sailed for England to join his grief-stricken wife. As his ship passed the approximate location where his daughters had drowned, his deep sorrow mingled with his unwavering faith in God's goodness caused him to compose the hymn.

Probably very few, like Spafford, are able to maintain their faith in the face of such devastating bereavement without spiritually faltering. The natural tendency of one confronted with such senseless tragedy would surely be to question, to doubt, to blame, to accuse God. Yet this hymn reveals a person who had been graced by God to mourn without bitterness, to sorrow without anger, to trust without resentment, to rest in the peace of Christ which surpasses every man's understanding (Phil. 4:6). The remarkable faith exhibited by the author of this hymn is the same precious faith allotted to all the believers (2 Peter 1:1) which enables them to believe steadfastly as the author did, that all things work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).

This boundless faith, and a peace which truly passes all understanding. Jesus himself said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you...Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid" (John 14:27). As I remembered the people whose troubles I have seen, and as I remembered how God reminded me of them, and then I remembered Horatio G. Spafford's incredible story of true peace and faith in what would seem to be the darkest of times, I felt an incredible sorrow and guilt at my own inadequate faith. It is often through pain that God provides his most powerful lessons and reminders to us. Today I vowed to follow the example of Horatio G. Spafford: "Whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say, 'It is well, it is well with my soul.'"

(A Eternal Blessing of My Family note: I first heard the story behind this hymn from my dad, as he led the music at a church we attended. I don't remember what church, and I don't remember how old I was, but I can still clearly see him standing behind the pulpit, telling the story of this hymn as he introduced it. Thanks, Dad. Jesus' granting of peace, from the Book of John, comes courtesy of my mom. Thanks, Mom. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" (Prov. 22:6).)