I know a lot of people would differ with me on this point, but, to my mind at least, most modern Christian songs can’t even begin to compare to the old hymns.
You probably know the story of Horatio Spafford, the man who lost a son to illness, his investments to the Great Chicago fire, and his four daughters to a shipwreck in the Atlantic, all within four years’ time. At a time of horrific grief he penned the words to this song, which present a message of such hope and faith that it’s hard for me to believe they came as the result of anything less than a supernatural gift of peace that passes all understanding.
You may or may not know the rest of the story about Spafford. He would eventually lose a sixth child after the writing of this song and may have even, by some accounts at least, been rejected by his fellow-believers for this obvious “judgment of God” upon him. (There are always plenty of “Job’s comforters” around, aren’t there?) Regardless, Spafford wound up dying in Jerusalem thinking he was some type of messiah.
That’s hardly the happy ending we look for in stories like this, but then again, the Bible never hid the less-flattering aspects of believers’ lives, even when doing so might have seemed to give credence to the faith, so I don’t think there’s any sense in trying to candy-coat the lives of our favorite hymn writers.
And I really don’t think it retracts from the message of this song. In horrid circumstances Mr. Spafford found comfort in the promises of God in His Word and the assurance that we, too, can have; that no matter what we face in life, it can be well with our souls. And with that confidence comes an incredible measure of strength and peace, even when life seems very, very dark.
Let’s be honest: Life is hard sometimes. Very hard. And while we know God works things for good because the Bible says so, we’re also finite creatures without the natural ability to view things from His eternal perspective. It’s a handicap that breeds discouragement.
But that’s why I like this song. It looks beyond the present circumstances to the eternal truth that assures us that even when life seems completely out of control, the most important thing can be secure and steady and unchanging. What hope and joy there is in that promise!
It’s not always easy to see it. We forget it all too easily. But no matter what, if my soul is right with God, really ALL IS WELL. And what amazing comfort I find in that truth.
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Hi Tanya,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and this beautiful hymn. What an amazing man who wrote this. It reminded me of another recent post where you described famous people in history that you'd like to meet…makes me wish some of them could provide some words of wisdom for our country and the challenges we face today!
A loyal reader & fellow hs'ing mom,
Susan ~ Cape Cod
Wouldn't it be nice if they could do so?? Of course I wonder if people would even want to listen to them. But I have no doubt they would have plenty of wisdom to share.
I am delighted to "meet" you, Susan, and I can't tell you how much it means to know you're reading there in Cape Cod. Thanks for stopping by today to tell me so! 🙂
Until 5 years ago, I knew no other songs except the old hymns. They were sung daily around our home and community. Then life made some huge changes and with it I got swept off my feet into the modern worship songs and choruses. I love them and sing them regularly, however, none have come close to moving me like this song and a few other old hymns are capable of doing. Thank you for sharing your heart on this! Many others must feel this way as well, or else these old hymns would disappear like the more modern ones do.
There are some newer songs I like very much, but, like you said, they just can't compare to the old hymns. Thank you so much for reading today, Kaylene!
That is a very very comforting truth. And one I needed reminded of today. All is well… 🙂
Stopping over from Mama Moments Mondays!
I think we all need to be reminded of this sometimes. I know I certainly do! Thank you so much for stopping by!
I am definitely with you on this! I love the old hymns because they contain great, heartfelt messages that are beautifully written. Not only that, the fact that most times there is Scripture quoted as well – what not to love about them!
So many of the old hymns are packed with scriptural truth or, like you said, just quote the Bible directly. Sometimes I think a lot of the modern songwriters have become so focused on moving the flesh or the emotion or on impressing with the quality of their music or their vocals that the biblical truth of the message has become less important. That's sad to me. And I find that to be just as true among the more conservative styles of Christian music as among the more contemporary ones.
Anyway, thank you so much for reading!
Tanya…I,too, love to sing hymns. Last year, in our bible study, we learned a new hymn every week. I wanted our children to appreciate the beauty of hymns. Loved this post. Thank you for sharing at Monday's Musings.
We started doing a weekly hymn last year, too, and I want to continue with that. The old hymns are being sung less and less often and I want my kids to know them.
And thank you so much for the opportunity to link up at Monday's Musings!
I enjoyed your post. Our family memorizes a new hymn every month, and this is one we did last year. We all still enjoy singing it, and reminding ourselves that even if life is hard, it can be well with our soul.
We only learned the four verses that are in our church's hymnal, (1,2,3, 6) so it was nice to read the other two. Thanks!
Memorizing a new hymn each month is a wonderful idea. We read and listen to them sometimes, but I would like my kids to actually KNOW them. Thanks so much for stopping by, Lisa!