It Is Well

Column Post by Kelly Heuer

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.

The man who wrote this had just lost everything. In the span of two years, his only son died and his property burned to the ground. He sent his wife and four daughters on a ship for England where he would meet them; they needed a respite.

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.

Nine days after his family set sail he received a telegram from his wife that read, “Saved Alone.” He left immediately to join her. During his journey, the captain called him over and pointed out the spot where his daughters had died. He went back to his cabin and wrote, “It Is Well”.

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!

His wife’s last memory was of her baby being torn from her arms. She was saved by a plank floating up underneath her while she hovered unconscious in the water. When she was rescued and found that her daughters were not among the survivors, despair overtook her. Can you hear her screaming, “Why God? Why? Haven’t you taken enough?”

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.

Battered and broken, nothing left but each other. I cannot begin to imagine the pain. Turmoil, mind numbing suffering has been a part of my life; I have been forced to survive heart-ripping pain. I know that on this orb I will face loss and pain again.

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

. . . . . . . . . .

P.S. We’d love to know your thoughts; be sure to share in the comments section below. This month we will draw TEN winners from our commenters and the winners will receive one of these two  books, Hope for a Hurting Heart or To Let You Know I Care by our featured author this month, Cheryl Karpen. 

Kelly Heuer resides in Idaho and asserts that she is foremost a wife to her best friend and hero. Five children (plus a few extras) call her Mami, and she considers being a wife and mother to be her most important job and ministry. She is her church’s Music/AV Coordinator and serves as a song leader among other roles as needed. A missionary kid, Kelly lived in the Dominican Republic for 14 years learning to read and translate legal documents in both Spanish and English. She says one of the most important revelations of her time there was learning the value of writing in alleviating the pain of both internal and external struggles. She says while others might describe her as a survivor, she calls herself a fighter, a thriver, a winner. Kelly’s heart is to help women worldwide to go beyond survival and be freed to never again fear enslavement.

Read more encouraging stories from brave-hearted women here. Be sure to grab your free copy of inspirational quotes and writing prompts while you’re there. (Look over on the right hand side!)