Introduction: A New Song of Deliverance (Psalm 40)

Weaver reads Psalm 40:1-3, highlighting David's 'new song' of praise after deliverance from a horrible pit, and notes that this psalm also points to Christ.

Let's open our Bibles today to Psalm 40. Psalm 40. And I did change messages today; I had intended on bringing another message, and for some reason, I just wanted to bring this study. So we're going to look today—listen carefully—at the story of Horatio Gates Spafford. You probably have never heard of the name. You have, you just don't remember it. But he was the man who wrote, "It Is Well with My Soul." So let's look in Psalm 40, beginning there with verse 1. David said,

"He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord." I want you to note, David says that the Lord had given him a new song. And then he defines that new song as even praise unto our God. This new song happened to be a song of deliverance. Listen to what David said. He said, "I waited patiently for the Lord." "And he inclined unto me." Notice, if you would, what God did for him. Look in verse two. He says, "He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." Well, what has God done? God has marvelously and miraculously delivered David. And therefore, David now has what he calls a new song or a praise of thanksgiving to the Lord.

Now, before we get involved with the message today, I want to point out several things concerning Psalm 40. First of all, Psalm 40 is a psalm that relates to the Lord Jesus Christ. You say, but the psalm was written by David. Yes, it was written by David, and certainly there are applications to David, but it is also applicable to the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. In fact, if you would skip down to Psalm 40 and look at verses 6 through 8, Psalm 40, verses 6 through 8, there the scripture says, "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me."

Psalm 40 Applied to Christ and the Church

Weaver explains that Psalm 40 is messianic, citing verses 6-8 and their quotation in Hebrews 10, and gives a brief outline of the psalm's themes of deliverance and Christ's obedience.

"I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart." Now, if you were to go, and I'm not asking you to turn there, but if you were to go to Hebrews chapter 10, you would find that Psalm 40 is there applied directly to Jesus Christ. Now, let me just give you a brief outline of this psalm. First of all, the first five verses of this psalm celebrate the deliverance wrought by Christ for his body, the church. It celebrates his resurrection from the grave in which he delivered us from the guilt and dominion of sin. When you look at verses six through eight, he declares there the abolition and the inefficacy of the legal sacrifices. That's when he says, "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire." In other words, it's not a new bull or a new goat or a new lamb that God desires. No. And then in Psalm 40, verses 9 through 10, he declares his own intention and inclination to do the will of the Father. And then in Psalm 40, verses 11 through 13, there is his prayer while under the sufferings for our salvation, while verses 14 and 15 declare the confusion of His enemies, and then finally in verse 16 you have the joy and thankfulness of His disciples, and finally in verse 17 you have a prayer or a petition that is offered there. But Psalm 40 basically not only was written by David, but it applies to the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we were to take the time to go through the Bible and talk about a new song, you'd be surprised at how many scriptures there are that refer to a new song. But let me just point out that each one of these verses that deal with a new song usually talk about deliverance. For instance, let me give you two. A whole Psalm 40, but look in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 5. Revelation chapter 5. And then we're going to Revelation chapter 14. Revelation chapter 5.

And notice, if you would please, verse 9. Revelation 5 and verse 9. Notice what the scripture says about the new song, and I'm showing how the new song deals with redemption or deliverance. Revelation 5 and verse 9,

Note they sung a new song, and that new song had reference to the deliverance that was wrought by Jesus Christ. Now, if you look at Revelation chapter 14 and verse 3, once again you'll see the same truth. Revelation chapter 14 and verse 3, "...and they sung as it were a new song before the throne, before the four beasts and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth." Note, if you would please, they sung a new song.

The New Song in Revelation

Weaver references Revelation 5:9 and 14:3 to show that the 'new song' is always connected to redemption and deliverance.

If we were to take the time to go through the Bible and talk about a new song, you'd be surprised at how many scriptures there are that refer to a new song. But let me just point out that each one of these verses that deal with a new song usually talk about deliverance. For instance, let me give you two. A whole Psalm 40, but look in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 5. Revelation chapter 5. And then we're going to Revelation chapter 14. Revelation chapter 5.

And notice, if you would please, verse 9. Revelation 5 and verse 9. Notice what the scripture says about the new song, and I'm showing how the new song deals with redemption or deliverance. Revelation 5 and verse 9,

Note they sung a new song, and that new song had reference to the deliverance that was wrought by Jesus Christ. Now, if you look at Revelation chapter 14 and verse 3, once again you'll see the same truth. Revelation chapter 14 and verse 3, "...and they sung as it were a new song before the throne, before the four beasts and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth." Note, if you would please, they sung a new song.

Now, when you and I talk about a new song, when we talk about praising the Lord, it's easy for you and I to sing a new song and it's easy for you and I to praise the Lord when He has blessed us and everything is going the way we would describe, just right. But the question remains is, can we sing a new song and can we praise the Lord when it appears, humanly speaking, everything is lost? I know that each of us has sung "It Is Well with My Soul" many times. It's one of my favorite songs. Let me just give you the stanzas to that song, and I want you to listen well, because these stanzas are very important. It begins like this, "When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul."

The Hymn 'It Is Well with My Soul'

Weaver recites the stanzas of the hymn and introduces its author, Horatio Gates Spafford, setting up the biographical narrative.

The second stanza, "Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control, that Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed his own blood for my soul." The third stanza, "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!" And then the last stanza, "And, Lord, haste the day when the 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." Now this hymn was written by Horatio Gates Spafford, Jr. Spafford was born on October the 20th, 1828, to a remarkable father of the same name, Sr. Horatio Gates Spafford Sr. was an inventor, an author, an editor, an entrepreneur, and he corresponded with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Madison. Horatio Gates Spafford, Sr. may have also developed what came to be known as the Bessemer process of steel making. The correspondence between Spafford, Sr. and Thomas Jefferson is extensive. And if you want to view some of the letters that they wrote back and forth to each other, all you have to do is type in Horatio Gates Spafford's name on the Internet and you're going to see all this correspondence that transpired between Spafford Sr. and Thomas Jefferson. But it's his son that I want to deal with, Horatio Gates Spafford Jr. He was converted to Christ and he joined the Presbyterian Church. He was a respected leader at the Fullerton Avenue Presbyterian Church. Spafford, in today's terminology, would be an anomaly because he happened to be a Christian and a lawyer.

Horatio Spafford's Early Life and Faith

Weaver details Spafford's background, conversion, legal career, marriage, and friendship with D.L. Moody, emphasizing his devotion to Scripture and service.

Today, that's an oxymoron if you say Christian lawyer just about. I know there are some. I'm just teasing. But I still think of the old joke that I heard about the black man walking across the cemetery and on the tombstone said, "Here lies lawyer John, an honest man." And the old black man said, "Hmm, must be two men in that grave." Well, you know, I'm teasing. There are plenty of attorneys who are Christians, for which I am thankful.

But he was an attorney. He happened to be born unhappily in North Troy, New York. He was originally a New Yorker. But Horatio Spafford was not just simply versed in what you and I would refer to as secular law. He was also versed in God's law, and he had a great love and appreciation for the law of God. He was a devoted student of the Word of God. He appreciated God's Word and he taught Sunday school.

And he really enjoyed teaching the young people. In time, he became an elder or a presbyter at the Fullerton Avenue Presbyterian Church in Chicago. Horatio was admitted to the bar and he traveled west in 1856. As a young Sunday school teacher, he met a beautiful Norwegian girl Anna Larson or Lawson, her name was changed, who happened to be 14 years his junior. Well, she was too young to marry at the time that he met her.

So he had a plan. He sponsored her. He sponsored her through finishing school while he waited for her to become of marriageable age. And they married in 1861 and moved to a new home in Lakeview, just 12 miles north of Chicago. Horatio's law practice was there and his firm was Spafford, McDade & Wilson. It was a very successful law firm. He also was a friend of Dwight L.

Moody and Ira Sankey and numerous other Christian ministers of the time. He even helped in Moody's ministry. In fact, he and his family were invited by Moody to come to England and of course to travel in Europe and of course they wanted to do so as a family and as a family vacation. He was invited there to help in the evangelistic services at Moody held. It was George Stebbins who was a noted gospel musician, said of Horatio Gates Spafford Jr. that he was a man of unusual intelligence and refinement, deeply spiritual, and a devoted student of Scripture. So here's a man that evidently loved the Lord and loved the Word of God. Horatio did very well financially.

He had money, he had prominence, he had ability, he had godly friends, he had influence, and above all, he had a wonderful, loving family. He and his wife had five children, one boy and four girls. Well, one of the great mysteries of life has always been, why do bad things happen to good people? Please note when I use that word bad. It is a word that we always place our own perspective and interpretation upon. When we use the word bad, we use it to refer to that which is disagreeable, tragic, or incomprehensible. In reality, we know that there are no bad things that happen to Christians.

The Theology of Suffering as a Gift

Weaver teaches from Romans 8:28 and Philippians 1:29 that suffering is a gift from God, not a sign of being forsaken, and that God's grace is sufficient in weakness.

So how can you say that? Come on, help me out, Romans 8:28.

So, if all things basically work together for our good, how can they be bad? Now, what we say when we call something bad, we may not understand it. We may not desire it. We may not want it. We may not like it. But in reality, it's not really bad, it's good for us, or else God would never have allowed it to come our way. You stop and think of what we call bad things. You think of all the sicknesses that have swept over the lives of the saints from time to time. Think of cancer, the devastation of cancer. Think of the loss of our mates, the loss of our children. It seems as if multitudes suffer and they never know or understand the source or the cause of their sufferings.

And I'm not even mentioning persecution. I mean, Christians are persecuted on every hand and in many different ways. And we consider all of these sicknesses. We consider all of these losses. We consider the financial reverses. We consider the persecution. We consider all this bad. But Romans 8:28 helps us to correct our misinterpretation. In fact, all you have to do is read the book of Acts when you want to talk about persecution. Our Lord told his disciples to

go into all the world, preach the gospel. But everybody hung around Jerusalem. So the Lord sent persecution. And you know what the Bible says in Acts 8:4, that they went everywhere preaching the Word. They that were scattered abroad. What scattered them abroad? Persecution. May have been bad to them, but it was good for them because the Word of God was dispersed. So, when we think about bad things, we need to remember Romans 8:28.

But I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Philippians chapter 1, and let me show you something else. Here's a verse that probably most of us can quote, but we've never really stopped to think about its implication. We have to understand that suffering is a gift. If I were to ask you, where does faith come from? What is the source of faith? You would say it's the gift of God. You can go to Ephesians 2:8-9. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." Well, of course you know that passage. But do you know Philippians 1 and verse 29? Look at it. Notice what the Scripture says.

Notice,

What is faith? It's a gift. So he says,

—faith is a gift—

What is he telling us? He's telling us suffering is a gift as well. Suffering is not a sign of being forsaken by God. Suffering is a sign of being given a special gift by God. You say, "But I don't want that gift. That's one gift I could live without." Well, I got news for you. You have no choice in the distribution of gifts. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 11,

Do you realize it is God, the sovereign God of the universe, who distributes the gifts severally as he wills? He can give you the gift of faith. He can give you the gift of ministry. He can give you the gift of discernment. He can give you the gift of suffering. Suffering is a gift. May I remind you what the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12 and verse 9, and I just preached on this passage last Sunday.

God told Paul, when Paul besought him three times for that thorn to be removed from his flesh, God told him, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." And then Paul said, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." Now, what is Paul saying? Paul is saying, look, I besought the Lord three times to take this away from me. And God says, no, I'm not going to do that, Paul. You're going to find that my grace is sufficient for you. I want to take care of you. And then Paul said, "Most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities." What is he saying? Here's what he's saying. The weakest and the sickliest child

always gets the most attention from the father. I remember when I was a little boy, I probably hadn't even been going to school, but my sister had yellow jaundice. And you know, that's very infectious. But back then, they treated yellow jaundice with candy, you had to give them sweet things. And my sister would lie on that couch, getting all the candy she could eat. Of course, I couldn't get any. I wasn't sick. My sister would get up, go to the bathroom, I'd scrunch up on that couch and just roll all around in it, trying to get yellow jaundice just so I could get some candy, you know. But Mama and Dad were taking care of her, and boy, they were giving her candy and everything she needed. I didn't get any of it.

Well, this is what the Apostle Paul is saying. Usually the weakest or the sickliest child, he's the one that gets the most attention from the Father. He's the one that experiences and understands the presence and the power of God. Now, Horatio Spafford, Jr. was one child of God who's given the gift of suffering. Humanly speaking, we could say that things began to go wrong in his life, but the truth of the matter is things were really going right, even though he may not have perceived it.

Spafford's Losses: Son, Fire, and Shipwreck

Weaver recounts the death of Spafford's son, the Great Chicago Fire that ruined him financially, and the shipwreck that killed his four daughters, leaving his wife Anna as the sole survivor.

In 1870, he lost his only son to scarlet fever. So there would be no one to carry on the Spafford name. I am sure that he was still thankful and comforted by the fact that he had four daughters, Annie, Maggie, Bessie, and Tanetta. So in 1870, he lost his only son. In 1871, there was another event that happened that sorely tested his faith. It was the Great Chicago Fire. In that fire, over 300 people were killed and over 100,000 were homeless. When that great fire swept through Chicago in October of 1871, Horatio and his partners had a lot of speculation property.

They had invested heavily in real estate. And the fire wiped them out. So all of those Spaffords' own personal house was not touched by the fire. All of the rental property, all the other houses that he owned, were totally destroyed. So here he is, he's just lost a son, now he loses practically all of his possessions, and now he is still suffering from shock, I'm sure, dismay, and economic losses. For two full years after that fire, Horatio, even though he lost economically, still did everything he could to assist in the needs of the homeless, the impoverished, and those who were grief-stricken by their losses in the fire. Such merciful acts to his fellow men helped to strengthen the testimony as to why Horatio Spafford, Jr. was known throughout Chicago as a genuine, sincere, and devout Christian. So after having lost his only son, after having lost his possessions in the fire, in November of 1873, Horatio and his family decided to take a vacation. As I said earlier, they were not only friends with, but they were also loyal supporters of Dwight L. Moody. And Moody had invited them to come and help him in a meeting. So they were going to go to England, meet Moody and Ira Sankey there, helping their evangelistic campaigns, and then they were going to leave from there and tour Europe.

They had booked passage on one of the finest French ships available, the Ville du Havre. It was a great ship. The finest of its day. Family had planned to travel together, have a good time. But at the last moment, there's a snag in the business plans. Horatio was counting on the sale of a piece of property. And right before he could leave, the prospective buyer died. Which meant he had to make some other business arrangements. So rather than disappoint his family, he was going to send them ahead and he would join them later. The ship was basically full.

I mean, it was packed out. But interestingly enough, traveling on that ship were five preachers. These preachers had come from Europe. They were attending the Evangelical Alliance Conference in New York. And the pastors were Nathaniel Weiss, who was a Frenchman, who later wrote a book about what I'm going to be telling you about today. Pastor Emil Cook, who was a Wesleyan pastor in Paris. There was the pastor Theophile Loray, also from Paris. There's Pastor Antonio Carrasco returning to Madrid, and then there was Dr. Cesar Prunay, also from Geneva.

It was Weiss, Cook, and Loray who promised Horatio that they would help look after his family on the voyage, since, of course, Horatio had to stay back. Well, the ship left port after 2 p.m. on the afternoon of November the 15th. And believe it or not, there was a Sunday school class set up for that ship. Pastor Emil Cook established that Sunday school class so that no children, but all who would listen, would continue to be taught the Word of God. Little three-year-old Tanetta Spafford went all over the ship singing very loudly "In the Sweet By and By," just like most little children would do. During the first six days of the journey, the ship was buffeted by rough seas, followed by a dense fog.

But however, on the seventh day, the passengers awakened. The seas were calm. The weather was beautiful. The spirits were elevated. And Anna Spafford was walking upon the deck with Pastor Weiss. And in her musings, she said this. She thought it was almost impossible that a ship can cross this immense ocean without danger. And then she says, "When I think that a few planks are all that separate us and all these charming people from the depths of the sea."

And then the conversation trailed off. Early in the morning of November the 22nd, just a little before 2 a.m., the passengers of the ship were awakened by what they thought were two terrific claps of thunder. They knew that something was wrong. They knew an emergency was at hand. So they put on their nightgowns and house coats and slippers and came out to the main deck to see what was wrong. To their surprise, they saw sparks shooting from the engine room and those sparks revealed a 40 foot in length hole and 10 to 20 feet deep that had been torn into the belly of the ship. At first, they did not realize what had happened. But the Scottish cargo vessel, the Loch Earn, which was an iron ship, had rammed the wooden ship. The passengers were just stunned, hardly making a sound. Some just could not believe what was happening.

Others were disoriented because they had been awakened abruptly at two o'clock in the morning. When the crew members struggled to get the lifeboats free, the lifeboats had been painted into place. And with great difficulty, they were getting the lifeboats ready to be launched. The few boats that were finally launched were later found to be filled with French crew members rather than passengers. Anna Spafford and her daughters, her governess, and the pastors were all huddled in one small group. Little Maggie Spafford assured her mother, she said, "Mama, God will take care of us." Anna, the oldest of the girls, had seen her mother struggling to hold up little three year old or the baby, Tanetta, and she came to help and she provided reinforcement for her mother's arms and then she offered her mother her own consolation. She quoted from Psalm 95 and verse 5. She told her mother, "Don't be afraid.

The sea is his, and he made it." Young Bessie, of course, sat silently and pale and certainly frightened as she clung to her mother's knees. But it seemed as if in one terrifying instant, the dark sea overwhelmed the ship, plunging everyone into its frigid waters in just 12 minutes. The most luxurious ship afloat sent 226 people to their deaths. The ship broke in pieces like a piece of pressed lumber. Anna Spafford was sucked violently downward. Baby Tanetta was torn from her arms by a collision with a piece of debris that hit her arm so severely it almost broke it, it bruised it horribly. She was able to reach out and grab the little baby's nightgown, but another piece of debris hit her again, and knocked the baby from her arms. She reached out again, but all she could feel was a pair of corduroy trousers; she had caught a man's leg.

Then she remembered being in a whirlpool. And the next thing she knew, she heard the splashing of an oar. Because she had been picked up by some crew members from the Loch Earn and she was lying face down in the rowboat. Her hair matted with seawater, her gown torn, the pain in her body was wracking her mercilessly. And yet at the same time, I do not have any doubt that the pain in her mind was worse, having understood that probably she had lost all four of her daughters.

There was a young man who was a passenger who had found a piece of wood and was floating upon that wood who came upon young Maggie and Annie, the two oldest of the Spafford daughters. At his direction, each one of the girls grasped one of the pockets of his trousers to hold on to while he could try to find a larger board that would support all three of them. Finally, after about 30 or 40 minutes in the water, he found a larger board and was about to hand it to the girls when he noticed as they grasped the board, their arms gave way. Their eyes closed, and they just simply sunk into the depth. Those who were finally pulled from the waters were given shelter aboard the Loch Earn, who later transferred them to another ship, the Tremountain, and were taken to Cardiff. One account says there were only 28 survivors. Another account I read said there were 57 survivors. Either way you cut it, the loss of life was tremendous. When Anna Spafford's rescue ship arrived at Cardiff, she telegraphed her husband, which down through the ages has come to be known as a two-word telegram, but actually it was 29 words. But the first two words were, "Saved alone." The whole telegram said this: "Saved alone, what shall I do?

The Writing of 'It Is Well with My Soul'

Weaver presents two accounts of the hymn's composition, concluding that Spafford likely wrote the words while crossing the Atlantic near the site of the shipwreck, and notes the tune was later composed by P.P. Bliss.

Mrs. Goodwin, children, Willie Culver lost, go with Loray until answer"—that is the French pastor—and then she gave the address. But the first two words: "Saved alone." When Horatio got the telegram, he boarded the next available ship to be with his grieving wife. When he finally caught up with Dwight L. Moody, he said this to Moody: "It is well. The will of God be done." No one actually knows for certain the inspiration for the title of this hymn, "It Is Well with My Soul." Because even the phrase "all is well" was used by Pastor Emil Cook as he lay dying of his injuries from the shipwreck. It's also a common phrase in our Bible. There are actually two different accounts as to where and how this hymn, "It Is Well with My Soul," came to be written. One account is given to us by Ira Sankey. He wrote, "In 1876, I was entertained at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Spafford for a number of weeks. During that time, Mr. Spafford wrote the hymn, 'It Is Well with My Soul.'

P.P. Bliss composed the music and sang it for the first time at a meeting in Farwell Hall." Well, the other account is this, which is probably the most likely and I will tell you why in just a moment. The other account is when Horatio was rushing to be by the side of his grieving wife. The ship that he was on passed over almost the very spot where the former ship sank. The captain is said to have called him aside very quietly and said to him, "I believe we're now passing over the place where the ship went down." Spafford then went to his cabin, found it difficult to sleep. He said to himself, "It is well; the will of God be done." And then he later wrote the words to this famous hymn. One author has given us what I believe is a very logical explanation for the two accounts. The author stated, "What may have confused Sankey somewhat is that the music for this poem was not composed until 1876. The tune was written by Philip P. Bliss, and he gave it the name—the tune—the name of the French ship that went down, having drowned all those people. This hymn was first sung in public by P.P. Bliss himself on November the 24th, 1876 at a large gathering of ministers hosted by Dwight L.

Moody in Chicago at Farwell Hall." So what he is saying is this. The tune was not written until 1876, but the words may have been written before. So this tune was not actually written until three years after the shipwreck. Spafford could have written it any time before that, and certainly Spafford being a devout student of scripture would know about the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings chapter 4. You remember how that God had given her this son and that when the son died, she took a donkey and ran to Elisha and Elisha saluted her and asked her, "Is all well?" And she said, "It is well." And of course, and then she grabbed him by the ankles and wouldn't let him go until he went and raised her son from the dead. The Spafford family website states this.

"Setting off to bring Anna home, he crossed the Atlantic, the watery grave of his four daughters, and he wrote a hymn, 'It Is Well with My Soul,' which expressed his faith. The first verse is an allusion to the shipwreck." So his own family's website says that is where the hymn was written. Now, regardless of where that hymn came to be written, or when it can be rewritten, the hymn is certainly a testimony to the grace and power of God in the lives of His children. You know, it's difficult for you and I to conceive of the reality of losing one's children, all of his children, in one fell swoop. Job lost ten of his children in one day. Horatio lost his last four in one day. And yet Job said, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return.

Spafford's Faith and Legacy

Weaver reflects on Spafford's response of faith, compares it to Job, and laments the lack of theological depth in modern Christianity. He then describes the Spaffords' later ministry in Jerusalem.

The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." And what was Horatio saying? "It is well; the will of God be done." Let me tell you something, folks. I'm afraid that experiencing such a loss today would drive the average professing Christian absolutely insane. Why? The answer is because in this country we have lost our theological underpinning in America. We don't have any theology today. We have very few Christians who even read their Bibles, much less study it. We know nothing about the person, presence, power, and peace of God. And I can assure you, it is only in times of such trouble that we're driven to call upon, to lean upon, to trust in and to believe in the Almighty Sovereign God of heaven and earth. It's only such loss that we can really find out who God is and the extent of His power and grace and mercy. Horatio's hymn reveals a man who was certainly graced by God. Here was a man who knew how to mourn without bitterness. To sorrow without anger. To trust without resentment. To exercise faith without faltering. And to believe without doubt. And to rest in the peace of God, which, according to Philippians 4 and verse 6, surpasses human understanding.

And yet the Bible in 2 Peter 1 and verse 1 tells us it is a like precious faith. Each of us have this faith and each of us who know the word of God, we really and truly know that all things work together for good to them that love God. When you sing that hymn again, the next time you come across that stanza, "When peace like a river attendeth my way"—now listen—"when sorrows like sea billows roll," the loss of four children, "whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well. It is well with my soul." In spite of all of their grief, sorrow and heartache, the Spaffords continued to serve the Lord. In fact, they decided to go to Jerusalem, move there, live there. Horatio wrote a friend and he explained, he said this: "Jerusalem is where our Lord lived, suffered and conquered, and I, too, wish to learn how to live, suffer and especially to conquer." The Lord did bless the Spaffords with additional children. They had another son born in 1876 whom they named Horatio who only lived two years. And then they had two daughters, Bertha in 1878 and Grace in 1880. In 1881 the Spaffords moved to Jerusalem and there they began a charitable work with the Jews and with the Arabs as well. That work has been continued by their descendants. Horatio died in 1888, but Anna continued their work until her death in 1923. After her death, Bertha Spafford Vester carried on the work begun by her parents. In Jerusalem, there is their ministry still, the Spafford Children's Center, and it's amazing how they began that work with the children.

I was reading how that Mrs. Spafford was traveling, and here was a man whose wife was about to have a baby. The hospital there was full. They would not take her. The hospital was closed for some reason. They would not take the woman in. And the woman was very sickly. And they met Mrs. Spafford. She saw the woman and so she arranged for the woman to be taken care of. The woman did deliver the child and then died. And the man brought the child into Mrs. Spafford.

He said, "Look, if I go back to my village," he said, "the child's going to die. I can't take care of the child. Would you please take this child?" And she said, "Yes, I'll take the child." And that was the beginning of the Children's Center there where they minister to the physical and mental needs of these disadvantaged children in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Now, I told you earlier that it was Horatio Spafford who wrote the verses, "It Is Well with My Soul." But it was P.P. Bliss who wrote the melody, who wrote the tune to "It Is Well with My Soul." P.P. Bliss was a very talented Christian musician. There are a number of songs and hymns that he wrote. We sing them and have sung them all of our lives. He wrote "Almost Persuaded."

P.P. Bliss and His Tragic Death

Weaver tells of P.P. Bliss, who composed the tune for the hymn, and his death in a train wreck while trying to save his wife, reportedly singing 'It Is Well with My Soul.'

"Dare to Be a Daniel." "Hallelujah, It Is Done." "Hallelujah, What a Savior." "Hold the Fort." "Jesus Loves Even Me." "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning." "Once for All." "The Light of the World Is Jesus." "Whosoever Will." "Wonderful Words of Life." He also wrote the words for "My Redeemer," and he wrote the music for "I Gave My Life for Thee," as well as "My Soul, Precious Promise." There are other hymns that he wrote that we're not too aware of. "Are Your Windows Open Toward Jerusalem?" "Only an Armor Bearer." "More Holiness Give Me." "Pull for the Shore." And "Will You Meet Me at the Fountain?" He was a tremendous musician. Let me just tell you, there's a reason why I'm telling you about P.P. Bliss. The last tune that he wrote before his death, the words were written by Mary G. Brainerd. He put the music to the words. Here was her poem. And by the way, the music was found in his luggage. I'll explain in just a moment. The music and the words are the words are these that he put the music.

"I know not what awaits me, God kindly veils my eyes, and o'er each step on my onward way He makes new scenes to rise, and every joy He sends me comes a sweet and glad surprise. So on I go not knowing, I would not if I might, I'd rather walk in the dark with God than go alone in the light. I'd rather walk by faith with Him than go alone by sight." Now listen to what those verses say. "I know not what awaits me. God kindly veils my eyes." Bliss wrote the music for and sang "It Is Well with My Soul" the first time on November 24, 1876. On December 29, 1876.

Just a little more than a month later, Philip Bliss and his wife were traveling on a train going back to Chicago. When the train attempted to cross a railroad trestle near Ashtabula, Ohio on that Friday evening, the trestle collapsed. The train was plunged 70 feet into a watery gulf. The wooden cars caught fire because the wood was being fed by the kerosene heating stoves that were on that train. The lead engine and the second engine made it across with two express cars, but the baggage car and the rest of the cars fell. Rail cars fell into the river. Of 159 passengers, 92 were killed or died later from their injury sustained by the crash.

Many others were severely injured. Philip Bliss was able to escape through a window. But his wife could not escape. And so Philip Bliss crawled back into the window to be with his wife. And both perished in the flames. And one article I read said, Philip Bliss was heard singing "It is well. It is well with my soul."

Conclusion: A New Song in Suffering

Weaver returns to Psalm 40, urging believers to trust God and sing 'It is well' even in loss, and closes in prayer.

David said, "He put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God." Can we even in times of loss and great suffering, say "It is well. It is well with my soul"? Many of the hymns that we sing were written out of great suffering and heartache. This is just one of them. So the next time you sing, "When sorrows like sea billows roll," be reminded of Annie and Maggie and Bessie and Tanetta Spafford, who were drowned. And those sorrows like sea billows rolled over his soul, and yet he could say, "It is well. It is well with my soul." Let's pray.

Father, we are thankful for the lives of your saints. And you did tell us in the book of James that we're to learn from the experiences of the saints. Lord, give us grace to trust Thee, to believe in Thee, to lean upon Thee, to always know that You are too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. And so many times, Lord, we've complained in our lives and we've said, like Jacob, "All these things be against me." And yet, Lord, all these things are for us. Help us to love Thee and to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we ask and pray. Amen.