“It is well; the will of God be done.”
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the
Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as
the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let
it be afraid. (John 14:26-27)
This
devotion on the Hymn – When Peace Like a River – is dedicated to the
honor of Mrs. Sarah Menzies-Grierson of Newcastle, England (the wife of the
Rev. Geordie) who, though suffering from a serious threat of cancer, has that
peace of which the hymn refers so beautifully. We love Sarah, our sister, and
pray for both her own well-being, as well as that of her husband, as they place
their trust in that only secure and certain Depository which is Christ. Sarah
has placed her full faith and confidence in that Hand which has held and
caressed her from her early faith, and God will always respond to that faith. I
believe this hymn to be one of Sarah’s favorite hymns.
This hymn is not included in the 1940, or 1982, Hymnal to the discredit of
both, for it is beautiful in every way. It was written out of a heart that had
lost the treasures of four daughters at sea in the North Atlantic. The writer
of the lyrics of this hymn was Horatio Spafford. The music was composed by the
notable hymn-writer, Philip Bliss, just shortly before his own death in a tragic
train wreck. The tune is Ville de Havre, taken from the name of the
ship.
In 1873, Horatio Spafford had endured several calamities that might set back
such a fellow from the joy of life. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 had
destroyed his wealth. At the same period, he lost his only son to scarlet fever
at age 4. He applied himself diligently as an attorney and at rebuilding his
life’s savings. In 1873, he was invited by D.L. Moody to participate in revival
services in England. He agreed to go, gleefully, but a last minute complication
prevented his leaving immediately. Spafford booked passage on the SS Ville
de Havre for his wife and four daughters with plans to join them shortly
thereafter in London. In the early morning hours of November 22nd, the Ville
de Havre struck an iron sailing vessel and sank precipitously into the icy
waters of the North Atlantic. The four daughters of Mr. Spafford perished, but
the wife survived. She cabled her husband from Cardiff, Wales, a very brief and
sorrow-laden message: “Saved alone!”
The loss of four precious daughters must be overwhelming to any father. I
cannot even begin to imagine how anguished I would have been by such a loss.
Spafford booked passage as soon as possible on a ship to join his wife in
England. On a cold, wintry night in December, at the point of sinking of the Ville
de Havre, the ship’s captain notified Spafford that this was the point
where his daughters had gone to their watery graves. Spafford was overcome with
a mountain of grief and sorrow as he peered down into the cold, murky waters of
the North Atlantic. He went back to his cabin, but could not sleep. At last he
thought, “It is well; the will of God be done.” Suddenly, it was as if the
morning sun had broken from behind a dark and foreboding cloud, an ocean of
peace overflowed his heart, and he wrote the lines to this hymn.
The hymn begs the question of the meaning of true peace. The peace of God
cannot be fully comprehended in the solitude of a peaceful pastoral scene on
the misty green fields at the morning sunrise. True and lasting peace does not
rely upon any external considerations, but rather a deep and heartfelt peace of
the Sea of the Soul that stakes its hope on that habitation of God in the very
Temple of the soul. The tumbling and cascading waters over the high Banks of
Niagara express that peace in quantity, but not in quality. Those lazy, placid,
and untroubled waters of the River Jordan are more expressive for quality.
When Peace Like a River
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.
Refrain:
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 blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Refrain
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!
Refrain
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
Refrain
But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!
Refrain
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.
Refrain
None of us are privileged to know what the day, or even hour, shall bring. The
Clock of Heaven ticks on according to the Providence and Will of God. We may
peer into the lower chamber of the hour-glass and know that many grains may
have fallen, yet we know not how many grains remain in the upper chamber. 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. Peace will always and forever attend the way of the child of God.
It is a mark of the saint to know that even the stormy billows of the sea
respond to the rebuke of God our Father. In whatever circumstance we find
ourselves, we must keep foremost in our hearts the truth that God is at our
ship’s helm, and the ship of our soul will weather whatever gales are blowing.
As Paul wisely counsels: “. . . for I have learned, in
whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” (Phil 4:11)
“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.” The disciples, caught on the
Galilean Sea in a furious tempest, were not forgotten by our Lord. He was with
them, and He will calm the stormy sea. The Ship of our Soul may be caught out
in the gales and billows of uncharted waters, yet He is with us, and has
redeemed us, and will save us to the uttermost. “. . . I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
Amen.” (Matt 28:20) Satan buffets, but our Lord comforts and calms –
even in a restless sea.
“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 a most amazing realization
to us that God will not remember our forgiven sins at all. Though we have all
sinned and come short of the glory of God, and we all deserve death as the wage
for those sins, that sentence has been freely paid (for us) by the Lord Jesus Christ
on the cross. Our salvation is a gift of free grace to us, yet it cost the Lord
Jesus Christ the last ounce of His sinless blood, and cost the Father the
pain of witnessing the Passion of His dearly beloved Son.
“For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me
shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper
Thy peace to my soul.” I dearly love this stanza! If we are
alive in Christ, how can the waters of Jordan overwhelm? “I am crucified with
Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20) It is not OUR peace that we
enjoy in troubled times, but HIS!
“But, Lord, ‘tis for
Thee, for Thy coming we wait,The sky, not the grave, is our goal;Oh trump of
the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!”
This line comports nicely with that of another good old hymn: “When the
Trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more; and the morning
breaks eternal bright and faire.” Christians are so far indebted to Christ
our Savior that we can never count the cost. The Garden Tomb of our Lord was a ‘borrowed’
tomb. You probably wish that you could have only a borrowed tomb as well. Guess
what? You DO have only a borrowed tomb if you are in Christ! We shall enjoy a
brief encampment in our own garden tombs until Gabriel stands upon the
precipice of Heaven and blows Reveille! Then all those who are enlisted in the
Army of Heaven shall awake to eternal lives and a newness of glory. The Roll
will be called, and the Morning Report rendered. Our Sabbath begins in the
tomb, but continues eternally in Heaven.
“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.” Do
you dread the grave with anguish and fear? You would not if you had the hope of
Christ buried in the Garden of your Heart. Our faith will be confirmed at the
very moment of death. The old, filthy rags of this world will fall far away,
and the White Robe of Righteousness of Christ shall be donned by the saint. We
will then see clearly those nail scarred Hands upon which our names were cut
(graven) at the cross. (Isaiah 49:15,16) Though our bodies, by the grace of
God, shall have no scars, His will still bear the stripes and scars of His
suffering. “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
(1 Cor 13:12) Did you catch that last gem of truth in Paul’s words? At present
we know by faith and know in part; but at that day, we shall know Christ as
intimately as He NOW knows our own hearts - Amazing Grace!
