Every now and then I like to look at songs we sing and talk about the meaning of the words we sing.  They are songs that touch our lives, our hearts, our very being as Christians.  Some of the songs we sing have a story behind them that are as powerful as their words.  I want to look at a couple of those songs today and maybe by understanding why they were written and by whom, the power of the words will be even stronger.

PRAYER

I. It Is Well With My Soul (646)

A. Story:

1. The writer of this song was Horatio Spafford.  He was a man who had everything going for him, a successful law practice, He owned many properties in Chicago, and married with 4 beautiful daughters.  Life was good until 1871.  The Chicago fire swept through the city devouring every building including his law offices that he owned.  He was here in Indiana on business so his wife opened up their home to anyone in need and helped treat those who had been burned or hurt.  As the fire moved towards their home, she was forced to move everyone to safety.  Luckily the home was spared, but his wife Anna was greatly traumatized by the horror she had witnessed during that time.
2. In part to give her some time to heal, they made arrangements to spend the next summer in Europe.  Horatio was unable to leave with them on the ship because of some last minute business.  One night as the ship headed for Europe, a British sailing ship collided with her killing 226 people including his four daughters.  As the news trickled in to Chicago of the tragedy, Horatio walked the floors and prayed with his friend awaiting news of his family.  During this time he remarked “ I am glad to trust the Lord when it will cost me something.”
3. The next day he set sail for Europe and when they came to the area where his daughters had died, the captain pointed it out to him.
4. In the deep of the night with his heart filled with grief he wrote the first and last verse of our song basing his thoughts on Rom 8:28

a) 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
b) What faith, what a valiant application of this verse.

5. The story doesn’t end there.  Philip Bliss a renowned composer asked if he could set music to Mr. Spafford’s poem.  Writing the second verse as well, he helped make this one of the greatest hymns ever written.  Shortly after writing this, he and his wife were killed in a fiery train wreck.

B. It’s a songs surrounded with tragedy, yet full of hope and peace.

1. Paul said, “ I have learned to be content, what-ever the circumstance”
2. The pain we suffer will hurt.   We are human, but don’t let anything pull your eyes from Heaven, or weaken your faith.
3. SING SONG

A. Story:

1. George Scriven also led a tragic life.  When he was young all he ever dreamed about was being a military officer like his father.  All that was destroyed after fighting an illness that lasted 2 years.  He headed in a new direction and began to study theology in Ireland.  There he met a beautiful girl and life seemed on track again.  The night before they were to be married she drowned.  George was crushed.  To escape the memories he moved to Canada.  There he tried once again on a new life.  He tutored for a couple of families and lived with them.  During that time he met a woman and they also planned for marriage, but before the marriage took place she contracted TB and died.
2. George turned what little life he had left in him to his tutoring and helping orphans and widows.  He never worked for people who could pay him and never had more than a few dollars his whole life.
3. You would have thought he wrote these words thinking of his own tragic life, but no, he wrote them to encourage his dying mother.  Remember your friend in Jesus and pray was the theme of the letter and the poem.  Unknown to him, she shared it with others and they in turn shared it with still others making different melodies and singing it as a hymn in worship.
4. He died by drowning after he wandered from his bed in a delirious state from his illness and passed out in a small creek behind the house he was living in.
5. Philip Bliss found his poem with music by CC Converse and added it to a song book he was putting together.  It was that tune that this song came to be familiar to us.

B. Song

1. The town of Port Hope erected a monument in his honor because he was a man who cared so deeply about those no one else cared about.
2. He was a man who understood friendship.  Maybe he though of Jn 15:13-17 when he wrote this poem to his mother.
3. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-- fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.
4. Sing