In 1873, Horatio G. Spafford, penned the words to this beloved hymn. Many know the back story of this song, but today, I want to take a moment to document the highlights.
Horatio and his wife Anna and their five children made their home in Chicago. As a lawyer and property owner, Horatio was financially well off. As believers, he and his wife were known for their faith, active in their church and regularly opened their home to visitors.
But like Job, the very foundations of Horatio’s life were about to be tried. Their only son died of scarlet fever when he was four. The following year, the great Chicago fire, swept through the city destroying many of properties owned by the Spafford’s. This did not stop them from stepping up and ministering to those in need in the wake of the devastation.
Two years after the fire, they decided to take a holiday and travel to England. Sending his wife and four daughters on ahead so he could conclude some pressing business, Horatio was devastated to find that the ship they were on had gone down and only his wife survived.
As he traveled to England where his wife was waiting, Horatio penned the lyrics of the hymn, “It is Well with My Soul.”
Fast forward to 2022.
We do not live in a society where contentment is prevalent. Many people struggle with the day to day demands of life. And, when you add in the unexpected tragedies that come our way, even believers can find their level of contentment tested and coming up short.
In Philippians 4:12, the apostle Paul writes, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
What was his secret?
We know that Paul was from an affluent background. We also know that during his ministry years, he had a part-time job as a tent maker which provided some income for him. Additionally, scripture tells us that after Paul’s conversion, he was rejected by the church leadership, beaten, jailed, thrown out of cities, and put in prison.
Yet, during his imprisonment in Rome, Paul still wrote, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.”
Contentment is defined as a state
of happiness and satisfaction.
In listening to a teaching on this passage, my attention was drawn to the word “learned”. Paul states that he had “learned” the secret of being content. Keep in mind that he was in prison when he wrote this.
What did Paul know about contentment that we don’t? What had he “learned?”
As I deal with Jon’s loss and everything that that entails, I am learning that contentment is a choice. Before you immediately discard my conclusion about this, let me explain.
Each day, we are faced with a lot of choices. The first is whether to get out of bed or just pull up the covers and hide. After that, it’s what we’ll wear, what we’ll eat and all the decisions that come with taking care of the responsibilities of our families and jobs. Every choice has two options. As we consider the pros and cons of the options, we make our choices based on the information we have and how that information makes us feel.
While our emotional and spiritual choices about how we feel are not so cut and dried, they are triggered by our thoughts.
Earlier in Philippians 4, verse 8, Paul tells his readers, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Paul knew that our thoughts had everything to to with our level of contentment.
This line of thinking is not unique to Paul. Today’s YouVersion verse of the day from Habakkuk 3:17-18 the prophet tells us, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
To paraphrase, regardless of what life throws my way, I choose to rejoice and be joyful in God my Savior.
Choices start with our thoughts and our thoughts are where the enemy likes to cause the most damage. If Satan can direct our thoughts, then he can sit back and let our emotions, attitudes and decisions follow that course just like a row of dominoes.
Today, whatever you are going through, whatever life challenges you are facing, focus your thoughts on God.
He has plans for your life. He has plans for your future.
Don’t let Satan sideline you as he tried to do with Haratio Spafford.
The Spafford’s did not let Satan win. Horatio and his wife went on to have three more children. They eventually moved to Jerusalem to minister to the needy, the sick and the poor. They also opened their home to homeless children. They made sure that life’s tragedies did not dictate their future. They instead chose contentment because with God directing their lives, it was truly well with their souls.
Comments