April 19, 2024

It Is Well With My Soul

July 26, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot You have taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul

Though the devil will ruin, though trials may come
Let this blessed assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And He shed His own blood for my soul

It is well, with my soul
It is well, 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, oh my soul

And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight
And 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 

Jars of Clay
Original writers: Horatio Spafford, Phillip Bliss
This version: Chris Rice, Stephen Mason, Matt Odmark, Jim Cooper, Dan Haseltine, Travis Cottrell, James Brickman, Charlie Lowell

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Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
Psalm 116:7

I can say that this is one of those hymns that the Holy Spirit brings to mind on many occasions and especially on the really hard days.  The Lord speaks to us through music, I know for sure.  Some days (even before the first cup of coffee) are already setting me up for failure.  I think in my head that there are words that I shouldn’t have said yesterday and I went to bed without an “I’m sorry”…and there will be words today that I will wish I could take back.  There are cluttered cabinets that need to be cleaned out, kind of like the cluttered  mind that needs to hear Jesus.  I am a frustrated perfectionist and I often compare my lack to others’ abundance.  But the Holy Spirit whispers early…in the form of a hymn…’it is well with my soul‘.  And it is….

In the 1800’s, a man named Horatio Spafford had lived through what he thought were the hardest trials of his life—his only son died and, shortly after, a horrible fire consumed all he had materially.  He recovered only to hit bottom two years later.  He put his wife and four daughters on a ship to England and he was to meet them soon.  Not long after they took off, the ship ran into another ship and the children sunk to the bottom of the ocean.  He received a telegram four days after from his wife that said, “Saved alone.”  He got on a ship to meet her and, as he went over the location where his daughters had drowned, these words came to his mind: “When sorrows like sea billows roll…” and there was birthed one of the greatest hymns of all times.

Yes, he lost his children (something I cannot even imagine).  But in all that tragedy, his God was enough.  The fact that Jesus loved him was all he needed to make it through.  He knew that Jesus was coming again to take him and his wife to meet his girls.  So here on earth, he would choose to live his days in praise.

What about you today?  Are you experiencing loss?  It may not be as severe as the loss of a child (or four children) but it may hurt still.  I pray today that you and I are able to look at all the chaos around us and still have peace and be able to say without hesitation that “It is well with my soul.”

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Let us pray: Dear Lord, You are awesome and mighty, You bring me to my knees in worship and praise!  You are Holy and You are worthy of all that we are and all that we have and we love You.  Thank You for the peace that comes from just knowing You and knowing that Jesus took away all our sins so that we are looked at as pure in Your eyes.  Oh Lord, I pray for all the broken hearts today.  I pray that You can mend them and put a new song in each one; one that says “It is well with my soul”…no matter what.  Your love is enough.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

A Beautiful Jar of Clay

June 26, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

We now have this light shining in our hearts,
but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars
containing this great treasure.
This makes it clear that our great power
is from God, not from ourselves.
We are pressed on every side by troubles,
but we are not crushed.
We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.
We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God.
We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.
Through suffering, our bodies continue
to share in the death of Jesus
so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
2 Corinthians 4:7-11 NLT

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There is so much brokenness in this world.  Look at the headlines every day…Christians are being tortured daily; children are being taken from their mothers; there is hunger and poverty…and the list goes on.  I’m sure if you went anywhere today, you passed a wife that cries every night because her husband is leaving or a father who is working so hard yet not being able to provide.  I know hard…and I know the One Who mends the hearts of all these people.  It is Jesus.

I went through a really trying time when my kids were younger.  It was a time that sometimes I wish I didn’t have to remember.  The memories sometimes are too much and I find myself wanting to erase them all.  But as messy as I see it, God sees it as a ministry that will give others hope and faith.  If I made it through and found joy and peace and restoration on the other side, then so can you.

Read the verses above; a jar that has cracks and holes can allow light to enter in those places.  And, as His children, we are never crushed!  We will always be able to withstand because we have Him to hold us together.  If your story is not the one you would have written for yourself, then thank Him for it anyway.  Our God is good and all He gives is good.  Your story may save someone else one day.  And God says if one person meets Jesus because of your story, then it was all worth it.  It may mean the difference between life and death for that person.

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Now, more than ever, we need Him.  And reading and studying His Word will help you know Him more and know His true character.  I just want you to know that all hope is found in Jesus!  Do you know Him?  Are you tired of running and hurting?  He wants to save you!  I ask you to pray this prayer with me:

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I need a Savior.  I believe that Jesus is Your Son and that He died for my sins—all of them.  I want You to be Lord of my life.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Filed Under: encouragement Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Sunny Days

June 23, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Sunny days, keepin’ the clouds away
I think we’re coming to a clearing and a brighter day
So far away, still I think they say,
The wait will make their heart grow stronger or fonder
I can’t quite remember anyway

So if you’re waitin’ for love
Well it’s a promise I’ll keep
If you don’t mind believing
That it changes everything
Time will never matter

Winter, spring is what love can truly bring
Ice turns to water, water flows to everything
You can lose your mind, maybe then your heart will find
I hope you won’t give up what’s movin’ you inside, no

If the car won’t start, when you turn the key
When the music comes on
All your cold, cold heart can do is skip a beat

Jars of Clay
Songwriters: Stephen Mason, Charlie Lowell, Dan Haseltine, Matt Odmark

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There is a right time for everything,
    and everything on earth will happen at the right time.
There is a time to be born
and a time to die.
There is a time to plant
    and a time to pull up plants.
There is a time to kill
    and a time to heal.
There is a time to destroy
    and a time to build.
There is a time to cry
    and a time to laugh.
There is a time to be sad
    and a time to dance with joy.
There is a time to throw weapons down
    and a time to pick them up.
There is a time to hug someone
    and a time to stop holding so tightly.
There is a time to look for something
    and a time to consider it lost.
There is a time to keep things
    and a time to throw things away.
There is a time to tear cloth
    and a time to sew it.
There is a time to be silent
    and a time to speak.
There is a time to love
    and a time to hate.
There is a time for war
    and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3

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Father, thank You for Your love.  Thank You for sending us Your Word through song and through the life we live.  Please send Your Holy Spirit to prompt us to do better…to convict us when we are wrong…and to celebrate the victories with us!  Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace.  Thank You for Your provision.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , ,