The Unshakable Foundation in the Face of Calamity
Few hymns in the English language carry the emotional depth and theological power of "It Is Well with My Soul." For over a century and a half, congregations across every continent have lifted their voices to sing its triumphant lines when passing through dark valleys of sorrow, grief, and trials. Yet behind this hymn lies one of the most heartbreaking tragedies in maritime history—and a testimony of faith that continues to inspire believers worldwide.
A Prosperous Life Shattered: The Great Chicago Fire
In the late 1860s, Horatio Gates Spafford was a prominent, wealthy Chicago attorney, real estate investor, and devout Presbyterian elder. He was a close friend and dedicated supporter of evangelist Dwight L. Moody and musician Ira D. Sankey. Horatio lived in high comfort with his beloved wife Anna and their five children: four daughters—Annie, Maggie, Bessie, and Tanetta—and a young son named Horatio Jr.
In 1870, tragedy struck the Spafford household for the first time when four-year-old Horatio Jr. died of scarlet fever. The following year, on October 8, 1871, the devastating Great Chicago Fire swept through the city, destroying virtually all of Spafford’s extensive real estate investments along the shore of Lake Michigan. In a single night, his immense fortune was reduced to ashes.
Rather than despairing, Horatio and Anna threw themselves into ministry, using what little remained to shelter and feed homeless victims of the fire, ministering alongside D.L. Moody to thousands of displaced families.
The Fateful Atlantic Crossing (1873)
In November 1873, deeply exhausted from years of ceaseless relief work and desiring to assist Moody and Sankey during their historic evangelistic campaign in Great Britain, Spafford planned a European holiday for his family. At the last moment, an unexpected business zoning conflict required Horatio to remain behind in Chicago for several days.
Urging his family not to delay their voyage, Horatio saw Anna and their four daughters—ranging in age from two to eleven—safely aboard the luxurious French steamship SS Ville du Havre in New York harbor. He promised to follow on the next departing steamer within days.
On November 22, 1873, in the dark pre-dawn hours mid-Atlantic, the Ville du Havre collided with the British iron sailing vessel Loch Earn. The impact was catastrophic; the steamer was nearly severed in two and began sinking rapidly into the freezing ocean depths. Within twelve agonizing minutes, the ship vanished beneath the waves. Over 220 passengers and crew perished.
Anna Spafford gathered her four trembling daughters on deck, praying fervently with them until the surging waters washed over them. While unconscious in the sea, Anna was miraculously caught by a crew member in a rescue boat. All four little girls—Annie, Maggie, Bessie, and Tanetta—drowned.
"Saved Alone" — The Heartbreaking Telegram
Ten days later, the surviving passengers arrived in Cardiff, Wales. Anna hurried to the telegraph office and sent a brief, heart-wrenching message of two words across the Atlantic cable to her waiting husband:
"Saved alone. What shall I do?..."
Upon receiving the devastating telegram, Horatio Spafford immediately booked passage on the next ship to join his grieving wife in England.
Writing the Hymn Mid-Atlantic
During the Atlantic crossing, Captain John Carter invited Spafford up to the bridge as they approached the approximate coordinates of the wreck. The captain pointed across the cold, rolling waves and quietly said, "A careful reckoning has been made, and I believe we are now passing the very spot where the Ville du Havre was lost."
Spafford retired to his private cabin alone. Surrounded by the profound silence of the open ocean where his four precious daughters lay sleeping, profound grief wrestled with divine peace. The Holy Spirit prompted his heart with the comforting words of 2 Kings 4:26, where the Shunammite woman, upon losing her only child, answered Elisha's servant: "It is well."
Picking up his pen, Spafford began to write the immortal stanzas:
"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 Christological Climax: Christ Has Regarded My Helpless Estate
What elevates Spafford's hymn above mere sentimental poetry is its profound Christological and theological foundation. Notice that the hymn does not dwell in the waters of grief; by the third verse, Spafford’s gaze shifts entirely from his earthly loss to the cosmic triumph of Calvary:
"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!"
Spafford understood that if Jesus Christ had conquered sin, death, and the grave on his behalf, then no earthly catastrophe—not even the loss of all his children—could separate him from the everlasting love of God.
Philip Bliss and the Melody: "Ville du Havre"
In 1876, three years after the hymn was penned, gospel musician Philip P. Bliss (who composed melodies for many of Ira Sankey's hymns) was deeply moved by Spafford’s poem. Bliss sat at his piano and composed the solemn, sweeping melody that has accompanied the words ever since, naming the musical tune "Ville du Havre" in memory of the lost ship.
On November 24, 1876, before an audience of over one thousand pastors and evangelists assembled in Chicago by D.L. Moody, Philip Bliss stepped to the platform and sang "It Is Well with My Soul" publicly for the very first time. There was scarcely a dry eye in the sanctuary.
A Living Heritage for All Believers
Today, "It Is Well with My Soul" remains a central gem in Ira D. Sankey’s Sacred Songs and Solos (Hymn #698). Whenever you sing its words, remember that these verses were not written from the comfort of an ivory tower, but forged in the crucible of deepest sorrow. It stands as a timeless monument to the truth of Philippians 4:7: "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."