Saturday, May 14, 2016

It Is Well With My Soul

Good morning friends,

This is Odie reporting in from Atwater, California. We have had a wonderful week under the Gospel Tent. Several people have prayed for salvation and help! Once again I am amazed to watch as God draws  people in. I love to watch those near by listening in night after night to the services. God has been working in lives this week!

It has been great to work with Pastor Jared Burris and the congregation of Amazing Grace Holiness Tabernacle. They definitely share our burden to reach others. I am a sad we only have two more nights under the tent in Atwater, California. 

You are welcome to come join us for these final nights. It would be wonderful to have you. We are looking for great things to be accomplished. Tonight, Saturday's service, will begin at 7:00 PM and the final service on Sunday at 6:00 PM. Dad plans to take the tent down Sunday night after church.

Wednesday morning I woke up to a text from a friend, Kelli Bufford. It was a reminder of the beautiful song "It Is Well With My Soul". Her text planted the song in my brain and I had to look it up again. The first thing I did was listen to my favorite group the Isaacs sing the song. Continue reading to find links of the Isaacs versions. 

This song is filled with amazing lyrics. When I think of the story behind the song I get convicted. The writer had experienced unspeakable  tragedy but was still able to say through all the horrific things that had been dealt to him, "It  Is Well With My Soul"

How do I respond to tragedies in my life? I usually fall apart. This song challenges me to depend on God, because my eternity is not affected by the turmoil of my present. I want to Praise the Lord despite my circumstances. 

I refreshed my memory of the story behind the song. This is what I found on www.sharefaith.com. 

"Horatio Spafford (1828-1888) was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters and a son. He was also a devout Christian and faithful student of the Scriptures. His circle of friends included Dwight L. Moody, Ira Sankey and various other well-known Christians of the day.


At the very height of his financial and professional success, Horatio and his wife Anna suffered the tragic loss of their young son. Shortly thereafter on October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost every real estate investment that Spafford had.

In 1873, Spafford scheduled a boat trip to Europe in order to give his wife and daughters a much needed vacation and time to recover from the tragedy. He also went to join Moody and Sankey on an evangelistic campaign in England. Spafford sent his wife and daughters ahead of him while he remained in Chicago to take care of some unexpected last minute business. Several days later he received notice that his family's ship had encountered a collision. All four of his daughters drowned; only his wife had survived.

With a heavy heart, Spafford boarded a boat that would take him to his grieving Anna in England. It was on this trip that he penned those now famous words, When sorrow like sea billows roll; it is well, it is well with my soul.."

It Is Well With My Soul, The Isaacs version of the lyrics are listed below. The Isaacs do a phenomenal job singing this song. It moves me to tears, in an awesome way!  I listed two YouTube links to two different renditions. The first they recorded several years ago in Norway. They were accompanied by the fiddle player Jessie, that traveled with the Isaacs at the time. 

The second video was published to YouTube in May of 2015. It is an amazing acappella version.

Verse 1
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

Chorus 

It is well (It is well) 
With my soul (with my soul) 
It is well, It is well, with my soul

Verse 2

My sin Oh the bliss of this glorious thought 
My sin not just in part, but the whole. 
It is nailed to His cross
And I'll bear it no more
Oh Praise the Lord Praise the Lord Oh my soul

Thank you for reading today. Have a fantastic weekend. Please pray for us as we travel to Texas this coming week. The tent is scheduled to go up near Ft. Worth, Texas one week from today on Saturday morning. 

Odie

No comments:

Post a Comment

Because of an enormous amount of spam all comments will require word verification and will be moderated. They may not be visible for a few minutes. We love it when you participate in the conversation. Thanks for leaving a comment!