Please welcome Kathy Cretsinger to Faith in Writing. She has written a guest post for our Musical Wednesdays feature: It is Well.
It is Well
Why do certain hymns cling to our brains? I don’t know if it is because the music is soothing, or we relate to something in our life when we heard them.
My favorite hymn is “It Is Well with My Soul.” I don’t remember when I heard it for the first time, but when I did I could have listened to it all day. It has such meaning.
Sometime in our life we will all go through times that we wish it would go away, but it won’t because we go through life as God’s plan. When our youngest daughter passed away at age six, I never thought I’d find that peace. “This doesn’t happen to us,” I’d say, but it does. I think that is when the song took over so much in my life.
How do you have peace after a tragedy happens? You have to trust in God. I wonder if Horatio Spafford had James 1:2-4 in mind when he wrote this song. “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
The lyrics of the song show Mr. Spafford’s great faith. He lost all of his children at one time. That’s hard to imagine. He put his faith in God, traveled to be with his wife, and they raised other children. Most of us would crawl up in a ball and hope everything would go away. It seems Mr. Spafford was sure he would be with his children again when his life was over. The way he portrays grief should be a good lesson for us. Let’s look at the song.
It Is Well With My Soul Lyrics
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.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blessed assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
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, O my soul!
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trumpet shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
May God bless each of you when you read this song.
Kyla Porter and Becki Hunley had been friends since childhood. They had gone to church and school together and had graduated from the University of Tennessee. They parted ways when Becki moved to Nashville to enter the country music field while Kyla continued her education in veterinary school and eventually moved to northern Mississippi to practice veterinary medicine.
Scarred by a tragic ending to a relationship, Kyla finds it hard to trust any man, even the handsome teacher she meets at Graceland, who seems too good to be true. Becki finds the perfect man for her, a handsome doctor she meets at church, and both she and Kyla become engaged within a few months of each other. They had always dreamed of being each other’s maid or matron of honor when they married, but their plans are in jeopardy when their wedding dates are in conflict. Will they be able to solve their dilemma, or will their dream die?
Kathy Cretsinger writes under the name of Katt Anderson. She lives in Kentucky with her husband of fifty plus years. They have two grown children, four grandchildren, no cats or dogs, but a few squirrels who live around the walnut trees. When not writing, you’ll find Kathy people watching, reading, enjoying her flower garden, going to activities her grandchildren are involved in, or helping authors with their manuscripts. Kathy also speaks at writer’s conferences. She and her husband, Jerry, are owners of Mantle Rock Publishing LLC. You can visit her at www.mantlerockpublishingllc.com.
