It is Well
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
Do you ever hear, see, or pray a word or phrase that sticks with you? It happens to me frequently, and over the past month that word for me has been "well." From church sermons to prayer time to talking with friends, I can't seem to escape this word that God has so clearly placed in my heart.
There are multiple definitions of "well" as a verb, adjective, noun, or interjection. I have in my mind to write about the word using three of these definitions as it applies to our lives, both naturally and spiritually. So, welcome to the first installment of my "Well Series."
well (adjective)
: PROSPEROUS, WELL-OFF
: being in satisfactory condition or circumstances
: being in good standing or favor
: being a cause for thankfulness
Coming from a musical, Lutheran family, I, of course, have had the hymn "It is Well With My Soul" implanted in my heart and mind since I was a child. It is a beautiful song, and the lyrics tell of the greatness and power of the Gospel. But it is the backstory of the song that, to me, makes this hymn all the more profound.
I will only give a brief summary about this song’s origin, but for an in-depth summary of this story, I recommend this video: https://youtu.be/iqrya00iY34 . The words of “It is Well With My Soul” were written by Horatio Spafford in 1873. By all accounts, Spafford and his wife lived a life marred by tragedy. From losing two sons, both at the age of four, to the great Chicago fire destroying all their properties and assets, to their four daughters drowning in a shipwreck, the Spaffords endured the worst of losses.
It is said that Mr. Spafford wrote what are now the lyrics of "It is Well With My Soul" on a ship as he passed over the waters where his daughters had drown:
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 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 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 (Originally: A song in the night, oh my soul!).
What I want to draw out of this song is Spafford's ability to sit in his unimaginable sorrow, in what I would assume to be a time of great turmoil, and still profess his faith and stand on the promises of God. I find it compelling that these words are not a call for God to rescue him out of a very desperate situation or for Him to use this tragedy and turn it into prosperity or elevation. The lyrics gracefully portray sitting in the mess, the calamity, and heart-wrenching events of this world while simultaneously declaring that the soul is untouched because of God's great love for us. In fact, Spafford only spends the first verse speaking about his own pain; the rest is dedicated to Christ.
As I sat down to write this, I started thinking about how wonderful it would be if I could be at such a point to say “it is well in my soul” in the midst of so much chaos. But I quickly found the error in my thinking - it already is well in my soul. Jesus paid the price of my sin on the cross; I am justified, and my soul is in right standing with God. It is not, for the Believer, a matter of the soul, but rather a matter of allowing what Jesus has done for our souls guide and direct our minds, our actions, and our lives.
This song illuminates that the promise of eternal life remains granted even when our inescapable physical lives are daunting and full of tragedy. There is no event, circumstance, or feeling that can reverse the justification mercifully given to us by way of the cross. We don't have to worry about the evil of this world preventing us from communing with God, because the veil was torn. The torment of life cannot touch our souls, which are renewed through the Holy Spirit day after day. These are just a few of the many reasons why we should be able to say “it is well” regardless of our circumstances.
I talk a lot about taking our focus off of what is happening in our lives and putting it on God, and I’m going to say it again today. As Paul says to the Corinthians “we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18, ESV). If we are to function healthily and be light-bearers during these increasingly volatile times, we must figure out how the wellness of our souls can, and should, manifest outwardly. We have to be skillfully able to look at the unseen while living in and affecting the seen, lest we waste the short amount of time we have in this world.
Remember, we already possess access to wellness in our souls, thanks be to Jesus, our Lord and Savior. But are we living lives representative of the condition of our souls? It is my prayer that I - and you - become so influenced by the Gospel and Holy Spirit that our “it is well”-s flow beyond the soul and into our hearts, minds, and actions. I pray that “It is Well” plays not just as a song in our hearts, but as words indicative of our posture during both the good times and the bad.