Day 10: It Is Well

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Oftentimes when I read this verse I think of the lyrics to "It Is Well". What a wonderful song. The writer, Horatio Spafford, had every reason to be distraught and upset with the circumstances that led to the death of his children and loss of property. One child contracted scarlet fever and passed away. Not long after, his property holdings were burned in the great Chicago fire. Sending his family overseas, planning to meet up with them shortly after finalizing some business where he was, he received a telegram that simply said "saved alone". He came to find that his wife was the only one of his family that made it over seas. Due to a shipwreck, his four daughters were plunged under water and drowned.

When Spafford came to the spot in which his daughters had died, he thought up the lyrics to the opening of this great hymn. "When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrow like sea billows roll." What powerful lyrics for such a hard time. In the end all he could say was "It is well with my soul." We are told to be careful for nothing. D.L. Moody states it this way, "Careful for nothing, prayerful for everything, thankful for anything." To be careful for nothing, does not mean to be careless, it means to allow God to have the care rather than you have the worry. In order to have the peace that passes all understanding, you must let God control.

The real focus of the Christian when they are tried by fire is to take everything they have and bring it to the Lord. "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." Mark 12:30 When you put Heaven in focus, everything else simply falls into place. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33 When sorrow like sea billows roll into your life, God has taught all believers to say "It is well with my soul." The world will fall apart, but "it is well with my soul." People may be angry at you and may even hate you but "it is well with my soul." People may try and pin you for things you never did but "it is well with my soul." The world loves to focus on the negative, but we can focus on how well our soul is because of what the Lord has done for us. Keep your hearts and minds on Jesus.