April 7, 2006

  • At Frank’s service this past Monday, Pastor Burk Parsons gave the background of one of my favorite hymns, “It Is Well With My Soul,” one of those sung.  I did some checking online to verify it, and between the online info and Pastor Parsons, this is it:


    In 1870 a man named Horatio Stafford, a resident of Chicago, lost his only son.  A year later the great Chicago fire destroyed him financially.  Two years after that, in 1873, he put his wife and their remaining children, four daughters, on a ship to Ireland (from whence he hailed).  That ship was rammed by another, causing the deaths of 226 people, including all the Stafford daughters, though sparing Mrs. Stafford.  When she landed in Great Britain she alerted her husband of the outcome with a two word telegram:  “Survived alone.”


    On his way to join his wife, the captain of the ship brought out maps, showing Mr. Stafford where his daughters’ ship had sunk, and pointed to the general area of the ocean as they sailed past.  He stood and stared out where he’d lost his children, then returned to his cabin.  It was then he wrote this beloved hymn:


    When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
    When so
    rrows like sea billows roll;
    Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
    It is well, it is well, with my soul.


    Chorus:


    It is well, with my soul,
    It is well, with my soul,
    It is well, it is well, with my soul.


    Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
    Let this blessed assurance control,
    That Christ has 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 the cross, and I bear it no more,
    Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O 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.


    Okay, add Horatio Stafford to George Mueller as my spiritual heroes.  Oh to be blessed by the LORD with such faith!

Comments (14)

  • This hymn is on my short list of favorites. It is also one of my former pastor’s favorites, and we used to sing it often. PG gave us this background more than once and he’d sing it solo once in a while, when we pestered him enough. When my brother-in-law, Denny died, this was sung at his funeral, at Denny’s request. Denny and PG were very close, and Denny died in his arms. I never heard PG sing it solo again. Since then, nearly 22 years ago, the hymn is an extremely emotional one, but always beloved.

    (Denny was Hazel’s husband, btw.)

    me<><

  • The pastor I grew up under told this story when I was probably 10 or 12 and I’ve never forgotten it.  I always liked that hymn before, but have loved it ever since!

  • It’s one of my favorites too, and I’ve requested that it be sung at my funeral.  Cindy – see to it.

  • Send me a postcard.

    me<><

  • Yeah, Lois…put it in writing. ;-p

  • She’s sent her sons postcards with various funeral directives. It’s only fair that when she makes up new stuff she would send me one.

    :)

    me<><

  • I get goosebumps whenever we sing that song in church.

  • What I think is so amazing, though, is the hymn that Frank requested was “Lift High the Cross”!  How is THAT for a funeral hymn?

    I wish that Burke had mentioned that at the funeral…but it’s my only complaint.

  • That was a new hymn for me, and I loved it. Truly an unusual choice for a funeral, but eminently suitable.

  • Wish I could have heard that sermon.  Every time I read his stuff in TT, it strikes home. Thankfully, I have had a chance to meet him and tell him so. yeah…I’m going to have to have a list of hymns to be sung at my funeral.  In fact, maybe the whole thing will be hymns.  I’ll even tell the pastor what Scripture to preach from– ha!  The only time a preacher might consider taking MY advice on a sermon!

    Then again, he might just preach something on it I wasn’t expecting.

  • Unfortunately, Eleanor, you won’t be in a position to hear it.

  • We told Pastor Parsons that if it were up to us, we would sing the whole thing…but he advised us not to do too many.  There would be a lot of people unfamiliar with the hymns and singing….he was right!

  • I first heard this story on Focus on the Family or Adventures in Odyssey.  Either Dobson told that story, because it’s on his short list of faves, or they made an entire mini-drama of the story.  Either way, it was years ago that I learned this.

    This song in the Key of C is an easy one to sing a capella, even for your average congregation, and has been said, it gives goosebumps when you sing it and listen to it and think of the original story.

  • There is a short play for I believe three people available for purchase from some site or other, based upon the inspiration for the hymn.  Bet that’d be a neat play for a middle school or high school youth group to perform.

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