Sunday, September 24, 2006

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

The more and more I am realizing how important our walk is on this earth, until our Lord calls us home. How important it is how we live our lives before a dying world, a world that should not be somewhere we call "home". I want so much to be the reflection of love and humility Jesus was. Through good times, through rough times I want to be thankful for what He did for me. What ever I do I want it to bring glory to Him and Him alone and that is not easy to do at times living in the flesh still. I sometimes wonder if when I do good, is it to bring Glory to God or to myself. God surely knows!

Prov. 16:2 All the ways of a man [are] clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.

Being content is sometimes hard, but possible with Christ.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever!"

In our walk what we do, reflects on Christ. The world is watching every step we make forward or backward..mostly backward. The world is watching us, waiting on us to sin and then they point to who we are following, Jesus. What shall we do then, take up our cross and follow in His footsteps. March on and follow His path instead of going off on our own. We owe Him that much.
Let us all be able to sing those wonderful words "It is well with my Soul" and mean it!

I attended a concert this weekend and one of the Hymn that was sung was "It is Well With My Soul". On our way home I kept thinking about the words It is well with my soul. I knew that not all is well with my soul and that I need to get closer to the Lord and His word. This morning as I was typing out this blog, I came across a site that shared a bit about the man that wrote this God honoring song. His name was Horatio G. Spafford. He was born in 1873. The words to this hymn was written after two major traumas in Spafford's life. The first was the Great Chicago Fire of October 1871, which ruined him financially. Shortly after, while crossing the Atlantic, all four of Spafford's daughters died in a collision with another ship. Spafford's wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram: "SAVED ALONE." Several weeks later, as Spafford's own ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, he was inspired to write these words the music was by Philip P. Bliss. Bliss originally named the tune "Ville de Havre" after the ship on which Spafford's four girls perished, the SS Ville de Havre. Ironically, Bliss himself died in a tragic train wreck shortly after writing this music.

Now here was a dear man that lost so much, yet after all that he was inspired to write these words of contentment. Those word can only come from God.

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.
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.
It is well, with my soul,

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

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

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

Lord I want to be able to sing "It Is Well With My Soul" and mean it from the bottom of my heart.

I pray this for all my dear brothers and sisters.

Cristina

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Though we all have periods where we are horizontally focused, God is actively working in our hearts to draw us to surrender more and more to the Lordship of Christ so that our view becomes vertical in ALL things. I don't think we can ever be content until this happens. Mr. Spafford, I believe had the latter view. God hurt him big-time, but in it God revealed Himself to him in such a way that we are edified when we hear this song.

In Christ

Mike Ratliff

Baptist Girl said...

I agree Mike. I have had the pleasure of knowing a few people that are content in thier life with Christ and like a beacon light they shine brightly.

Cristina

Anonymous said...

I want to be one of them myself.

Todd Saunders said...

Nice post Cristina. Glad I wandered over here. I agree, our souls are in the midst of the deservedly cursed world sealed with the Spirit by lovingkindness from our God. With that it can be well. Thankfully.