It Is Well With My Soul

I felt the thought cross my mind, little did I know then how heavily the Lord would lay it upon my heart.
My dad had just finished his first day at a new job and it did not go too wonderfully. Stressful is what only could describe the entire day. He came home looking as if he had run a marathon and then some. He was exhausted, but we had church homegroup that night at our house as usual. He had to find strength to push through. The weight he came home carrying was quickly loaded onto the rest of us. The hour before homegroup was as if we were walking on a needle wide tightrope. I immediately got put in charge of music. My favorite task. My brother, who is our group worship leader, was not able to be there, so I combed through youtube looking for easy, but soul provoking, songs. I made my list of four, but still I did not feel like it was adequate enough. Something tugged at me to keep looking. The perfect song was out there, I just needed to find it.

Ten minutes before the clock struck seven, I ran across "It Is Well," a hymn penned by Horatio Spafford. I had heard it many times before, every time leaving me completely speechless, and unable to move in awe. Words crossed the screen telling of Spafford's life and how this song came to be. I had never heard of his life, but it immediately impacted mine. I knew right then and there this was the song, and his story needed to be shared that night. I doubt I have ever been as nervous to sing songs as I was then. My nerves were a ball of emotions, my breathing shallow and quick. Why? I could not tell you. I only hoped that this was what the Lord wanted me to share.

As we sang the words, "It is well with my soul," I became awestruck, and moved to tears. The words filled my heart, my soul. As the last note drew out my dad's voice filled the room. It was not the strong, steady one I had come to recognize. It was one broken and renewed. He prayed, voice breaking, head bowed, tears rolling down his cheek. I, like many others, cannot ever recall my dad crying before, yet there he was. At such a hard time in his life he had felt the Lord's reminder to him, His ways are higher. Faith. Trust. Relief washed over me. I looked around and saw the tears in the eyes of others as they shared what this song meant to them. These were people who had been weathered by the immense struggles and hardships in their life. Still they persist on. It is well, was the reminder that daily met us in the Lord, yet was so easily forgotten in the world.
I felt it then. The idea to write. Everyone's struggle is facing them, but perhaps by the testimony of God's work in my life someone else would come to know, whatever their lot, it is well.

As the week went on, God continued to bring to mind that He has made my soul well. It never left my mind. My parents brought it up, I would find the words on Pinterest and Facebook, one of my favorite artists covered the beautiful song and it showed up in my email. Loud and clear. Everywhere I looked the Lord was plastering it in front of my face until, finally I found myself sitting down to write.
May my testimony of the Lord's goodness, of His love, and of His faithfulness, be a living reminder that no matter what,
It Is Well With My Soul.