April 25, 2010 8:51 AM
It Is Well with My Soul - the story behind the hymn
At yesterday's memorial service for Lance Gearing (more on this later), the closing hymn was It Is Well with My Soul by Horatio Spafford, sung by Chris Rice:
Every believer should know the story of how Spafford came to write this hymn:
Horatio and Anna Spafford's story did not end there. From Christian History Timeline:
After the TragedyFollowing the accident, the Spaffords suffered financial reverses and seemed to be spiritually restless. They had three children in quick succession‚--Horatio (1876), who lived only two years, and daughters Bertha (1878) and Grace (1880).
In 1881, the Spaffords moved to Jerusalem and there began a charitable work with both Jews and Arabs, which has been continued by their descendants. Horatio died in 1888, but Anna continued their work until her death in 1923. After the death of her mother, Bertha Spafford Vester carried on with the work begun by her parents. In the Jerusalem building that first housed the Spaffords in 1881, the Spafford Children's Center (www.spafford-kids.org) still operates today, serving the physical and mental needs of disadvantaged children of Jerusalem and the West Bank. Also, the Spafford family still has a hand in operation of The American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem.
Posted in Inspiration, Music | Permalink
Comments
I love this hymn and the story behind it, but I didn't know the rest of the story. Thank you for sharing!
Posted by: Musings of a Housewife | April 25, 2010 3:13 PM
