*****Download this month’s FREE printable******
***** Download the hymn schedule for the 2023-2024 School Year******
***** The School Year Hymn Guide is available on Etsy!*****
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.
Horatio Gates Spafford (1876)
THE HYMN AND ITS WRITER
Please note: The story of Horatio Spafford and his family is one of the most well known and tragic in all of hymnody. While a wonderful testimony to the grace and goodness of God, it is also heartbreaking and may not be suitable for sensitive hearts. Quotes spoken during the sinking of the Ville du Havre are included. Please take care to pre-read before sharing with your children.
On the 15th of November 1873, the luxurious passenger ship, Ville Du Havre, left Chicago for Europe with 313 passengers and crew aboard. She carried with her, Horatio Spafford’s wife Anna, their four daughters, Annie (11), Margaret (9), Elizabeth (5), Tanetta (2), as well as Mademoiselle Nicolet, who was a friend of Anna’s and a governess for the girls, Willie Culver, a 12 year old boy who was being sent to visit his grandparents in Germany, and Mrs. Goodwin, friend and neighbor to the family, with her three children. Horatio Spafford planned this trip hoping it would be a blessing to the health of his dear wife Anna. The Spaffords had encountered great hardships in the years prior. Horatio, a successful lawyer, professor, business man and layman at his church, had invested in a large amount of real estate in Chicago just before the Great Chicago fire in October of 1871. Aside from the devastating loss of 300 lives, the fire destroyed three square blocks of the city including over 17,000 structures, as well as all of Horatio’s real estate investments and his law office. Even amidst the massive financial debt incurred from their loss, Horatio found a way to give his family a holiday in Europe. Just before their trip, an opportunity arose for Horatio to sell off some of the land from among the fire-damaged properties so he decided to stay behind and join his family after the business was taken care of.
In the early morning hours of November 22, 1873, the Ville Du Havre was struck head on by the Loch Earn, a Scottish iron ship. Chaos and terror filled every corner of the sinking vessel. Anna wrote of her experience to a friend:
“The dear children were so brave. They died praying. Annie said to Maggie and me just before we were swept off the steamer, “Don’t be frightened, Maggie, God will take care of us, we can trust Him; and you know, Mama, ‘The sea is His and He made it.’” These were her last words. Maggie and Bessie prayed very sweetly.” (Vester)
Much later, Bertha Spafford, a daughter born a few years later, relayed more of the story as she had heard it told by her mother.
“As mother was pulled down she felt her baby torn violently from her arms. She reached out through the water and caught Tanetta’s little gown. For a moment she held her again, then the cloth wrenched from her hand. She reached out again and touched a man’s leg in corduroy trousers. . . . She had been rolled under and down, and as she rose unconscious to the surface a plank floated under her, saving her life. . . . The splash of an oar brought her to consciousness. She was lying in a boat, bruised from head to foot and sick with sea water, her hair heavy with salt and her thick dressing gown in ribbons. She knew, with no need of being told, that her children were gone.” (Vester)
The Ville Du Havre went down just 12 minutes after the terrible crash. Only 87 souls survived, taking refuge on the damaged Loch Earn and subsequently on the Trimountain, which carried most of the survivors to Cardiff, Wales. As soon as she was able, Anna sent a telegram to her husband saying, “Saved alone. What shall I do,” and told of the the loss of the children, Mrs. Goodwin, and Willie Culver, saying she would go with Rev. Lorriaux to Paris.
Horatio Spafford sought to join his wife immediately. In a letter to his sister, he wrote about passing the watery grave of his children:
“On Thursday last we passed over the spot where she went down, in mid-ocean, the water three miles deep. But I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs, and there, before very long, shall we be too. In the meantime, thanks to God, we have an opportunity to serve and praise Him for His love and mercy to us and ours. “I will praise Him while I have my being.” May we each one arise, leave all, and follow Him.” (Vester, p.45)
Similarly, Anna Spafford received much comfort in the fact that her children had come to know Jesus early. She wrote:
“How thankful I am that their little lives were so early dedicated to their Master. Now he has called them to Himself. . . . If I never believed in religion before, I have had strong proof of it now. We have been so sustained, so comforted. God has sent peace in our hearts. He has answered our prayers. His will be done.” (Vester)
Both singer and hymn writer Ira D. Sankey along with revivalist and pastor Dwight L. Moody, came to comfort the Spaffords in the wake of the tragedy. On one of his visits several years after the event, Ira Sankey recalled Horatio taking pen to paper to write the lines of “It is Well With My Soul.”
“In 1876, when we returned to Chicago to work, I was entertained at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Spafford for a number of weeks. During that time Mr. Spafford wrote the hymn “It is well with my soul” in commemoration of the death of his children. Philip P. Bliss composed the music and sang it for the first time at a meeting in Farwell Hall. The comforting fact in connection with this incident was that in one of our small meetings in North Chicago, a short time prior to their sailing for Europe, the children had been converted.” (Sankey)
Shortly after its writing, the hymn was first published in Gospel Hymns No. 2 by Ira Sankey and Philip P. Bliss in 1876. This is contrary to the often reported story that Horatio completed the hymn while on the ocean, passing the ruins of the Ville Du Havre. This report may have been a misconception or romanticized version of events perpetuated by the Spafford’s daughter Bertha, who was born three years after the hymn was published. Following Bertha came a son, Horatio, born in 1880, who died at age four from scarlet fever and another daughter, Grace, born in 1881. Soon after Grace’s birth, the Spaffords, having a terrible quarrel with their church and still reeling from the death of little Horatio, left Chicago and sought refuge in Jerusalem.
Concerning the move, Horace said, “Jerusalem is where my Lord lived, suffered, and conquered, and I wish to learn how to live, suffer, and especially to conquer.”(Vester p. 56) In Jerusalem, along with friends, the Spaffords established a Christian commune called the American Colony. There they ministered to Jews, Muslims and others living in the area by hosting soup kitchens, orphanages and hospitals and they carried on, hoping and waiting in particular for the imminent return of Christ. (Sankey) The Spafford Children’s Center, founded in 1925, continues to thrive in Jerusalem, serving poor and disadvantaged Palestinian children and families. Not long after their move to the Holy Land, Horatio Spafford died of malaria in October of 1888. Anna died many years after in April of 1923.
The grace of God was certainly upon the Spaffords, bringing them through so much grief and pain. We can see that most clearly through the writing of one of the most beautiful hymns in history and in the words of little Annie Spafford just before she and her sisters met their Lord: “God will take care of us, we can trust Him; and you know, Mama, the sea is His and He made it.” Christ who made the sea, who can quiet its churning with a word, who took every single sin, not in part, but the whole, and lovingly carried it onto the cross, saving us from the wrath that we deserve – through Him and Him alone, we are able to face whatever Providence brings us. In life and death, in blessing and hardship, we can sing with thousands throughout history, “Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.”
Footnote:
In her book, “American Priestess: The Extraordinary Story of Anna Spafford and the American Colony in Jerusalem,” Jane Fletcher Geniesse writes of Horatio and Anna Spafford’s possibly questionable theology and practices (universalism, denial of eternal punishment, failed prophecies and miracles, cultic practices including celibacy and infidelity in marriage, messianic claims, separating children from parents, a zealous belief in the imminence of Christ’s coming which prompted the neglect of educating children and reading books, etc). Others, like Dr. Kenneth Berding, New Testament professor at Talbot School of Theology, feel that the evidence of close friendships and shared theology with Dwight L. Moody and others suggests that “Spafford was a regular Christian who affirmed biblical orthodoxy—at least up until he faced a succession of life-altering tragedies that started him on a trajectory toward false doctrine.” Bertha Spafford Vester’s account in her book “Our Jerusalem” also tells a completely opposite view from Geniesse’s take on the Spafford family’s life in Jerusalem. Yet Vester herself affirms that even early on, her father had adopted Universalist theology (that God is love and therefore will extend his grace to all, regardless of whether they put their faith in Jesus) as well as denying the existence of hell or eternal punishment (Vester, p. 25, p. 56). Either way, Horatio Spafford’s hymn has more than stood the test of time and is doctrinally sound. I am open to being convinced otherwise, but as for now, it is my opinion that regardless of whether is was truly well with Spafford’s soul, we can still sing the biblically and theologically rich lyrics without reservation.
IDEAS FOR DOING HYMN OF THE MONTH
We are delighted that you are here, friend. If you are new to this community, welcome! It is a great time to join in and make family worship a priority if you haven’t already. You may or may not be familiar with this hymn. Either way, we invite you to spend this month meditating on its truths. You may find yourself too busy during this season to get to all of the verses, and that’s okay! Here are a few ideas for implementing the hymn of the month together:
- Print out your FREE printables for this hymn. Take a moment just to read through the verses together, as you would a poem. You can also use the copywork printables for your children to practice writing the words.
- Let your crew ask questions about vocabulary and the meaning behind the author’s poetry, and ask if there are any words or phrases that stick out to anyone.
- Read about the author together (above). There is such beauty in understanding the life and thoughts of the hymn writer! When my family sings hymns together, we often reflect on the author and his or her sufferings or blessings. For every hymn, it’s like we make a new friend.
- Listen to the hymn. Play it when you are driving together, or at home while washing dishes. Try out lots of different versions from our playlist below. Let your children hear YOU singing it. There is such wonderful comfort that comes from your children hearing you sing. Even if you feel like you haven’t a musical bone in your body, it doesn’t matter… Sing!
- Most importantly, spend time reading Scripture, praying and singing along with your children. It may feel awkward at first but go ahead and give it a try. Your kiddos may not join you in singing right away, and that’s ok. It may take a few days or even a few weeks, but at some point, you are most likely going to hear your children humming the tune or singing the lyrics while playing or while you lead them. Don’t forget to connect with your children by looking at them in the eyes while you sing. And in your heart, look to the Lord in worship, submission, joy and reverence.
- Review! There are many fantastic ways to review hymns, but our favorite is using a hymn jar. After the month is over, we write the hymn title on a popsicle stick and put it in our hymn jar. We’ll often pick 3 or 4 songs from our jar during our morning routine so that we won’t forget the beautiful songs we’ve learned. It’s amazing to me how well the lyrics often stick in our hearts and minds!
LISTEN IN
You can find fresh versions of the hymn on our YouTube channel that you and your family can sing along with. There are loads of fresh versions of our favorite hymns on our hymn of the month playlist.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
When we began singing hymns with our littles about 13 years ago, we kept it simple… We prayed and sang one hymn together every night at bedtime for a whole month. Everyone’s family rhythm is different, so we welcome you to gather up your families, for just a few minutes each day, to sing, discuss and memorize this hymn (following your daily time in the Scriptures and in prayer) whether it is first thing in the morning, or around the dinner table or before bedtime – whatever works best for your family. You can let us know how it’s going by posting either a video or a photo on Instagram. Just tag it with #happyhymnody! As always, if you have any questions or if you’d like to share your heart with us, please don’t hesitate to reach out! God bless you all this month as you worship and follow Jesus together as a family!
GOING DEEPER INTO HYMN STUDY
If you want more resources at your finger tips for hymn study, please check out the Happy Hymnody hymn guide for the 2023-2024 school year. Not only does it get all the hymns for the year ahead of schedule, but you get MORE background to the hymn story, the inside scoop to the original text and compositions, discussion questions, coloring pages for every month, extra copywork sheets, and so much more. Read all about it and get yourself a downloadable copy on Etsy. This is also an opportunity for you to financially partner with us in the ministry of Happy Hymnody. Each hymn guide purchase helps us to be able to continue with research and with providing free printables on our site! So, thank you!
With so much warmth and love,
April
Happy Hymnody 