Man of Spin is old enough, and has been in differing traditions, where hymns about Him, were not relegated to a bygone era!

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not about rail against anything that has a drum beat, and I am not one to get “hung up”… well, too much, I would like to think, with a given style.  However, I am want to get hung up by what is communicated as we sing-to-worship to our God!

One of the tremendous realities about many of the historic hymns is that they have such a lyrical depth, which calls one to wonder and worship, and one such example of these hymns is the following penned by one Horatio G. Spafford!

Many may know the historical circumstances surrounding this hymn, but they are worth noting once again, and definitely worth your reflection, particularly as you use these as a paradigm with which to view your own reaction to the trials, challenges, and life.

Here is a little about the man, and the historical details surrounding this hymn…

Born: October 20, 1828, North Troy, New York.

Died: October 16, 1888, Jerusalem, Israel, of malaria.

Here is how Bible Study Charts describe the historical details.  I have included the majority of their account, as I believe it helps to ground this context…

This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song titled, ’It is well with my soul’, you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words, ”When sorrows like sea billows roll … It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of Spafford’s life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.

Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because of Horatio’s legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords’ only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.

Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest — DL Moody needed the help. He was traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer ‘Ville de Havre’ across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned.  He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: ”Saved alone.”

On November 2nd 1873, the ‘Ville de Havre’ had collided with ‘The Lochearn’, an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck hadbeen rescued, Mrs. Spafford’s first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her, ”You were spared for a purpose.” And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, “It’s easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God.”

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father’s voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. “A careful reckoning has been made”, he said, “and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep.” Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told “her soul is vexed within her”, she still maintains that ‘It is well.” And Spafford’s song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers.

Soli Deo Gloria!  I think that such an account, although intensely tragic, is Godwardly glorious, which points to the all-sufficiency that Spafford had in Christ, even when his life must have “felt” like it was on the rocks of despair!

Here are the lyrics from this site… HERE… that He penned…

(1) When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

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

Refrain:

It is well, with my soul,

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

(2) Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

(3) 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!

(4) For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

(5) But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

(6) 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

What has brought this hymn to this Man of Spin’s attention has been a recent article, which has informed readers that the band Kutless that has recently released an album, titled, It is Well, which has been doing very well in music-land!

Here is how Neufutur describe this reality…

BEC Recordings’ Kutless has impacted fans once again with another power ballad, “What Faith Can Do.” Kutless’ hit song has struck a chord with listeners since its debut in the fall with their worship project “It Is Well.” This week “What Faith Can Do” broke into No. 1 on AC Monitored, marking its spot at No. 1 in four Christian radio formats (CHR, AC Mon, AC Indicator, Inspo). The hit song spent four weeks at the top on CHR (currently No. 2), and remains No. 1 on AC Indicator, AC Monitored, Inspo and the new National Christian Audience Chart (the most popular Christian song ranked by airplay audience impressions). The single is mentioned in this week’s Billboard chart highlights.

Therefore, this encouraged one to check the Tube, with the Spinning one, particularly seeking their take on the title track.

However, before we get to this, check out some other interpretations of this hymn.  Before, I load these up, I should point out that this has been covered by many main-stream Christian Bands-Artists, however, the couple of these that I have listened to, have done nothing for me (its not meant to be all about you Man of Spin), so I will include the following examples…

Acapello style with lift off

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Fidel-licious

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Girls Unaccompanied

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Just Doin it out of Love of the Creator

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Now, for the main event, here is how Kutless do their thing…

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You can find more about this album with these following links… HERE, HERE, and HERE

Now all that is left is to ask one more question… Is it Well With Your Soul?

For the Fame of His Name

Man of Spin