Horatio G. Spafford was already grieving over the loss of his son when the Chicago 
Fire of 1871 destroyed a significant real estate investment that he had made on the shore of Lake Michigan.  Desiring a rest for his wife and four daughters, Spafford planned a European trip for his family in 1873.  When the time arrived for the family 
to depart on the voyage, Spafford had to remain in Chicago due to unexpected business developments.  He sent his wife and daughters on ahead as scheduled on 
the S.S. Ville du Havre, with the intention of following them a few days later. 
On November 22 the Ville du Havre was struck by the Lochearn, an English vessel, and sank in twelve minutes.  Several days later, the survivors were finally brought to land at Cardiff, Wales.  Mrs. Spafford cabled a message to her husband with the words: “Saved Alone.”  Mr. Spafford boarded a ship to join his bereaved wife.  As the ship passed near the area where it was thought that his four daughters had drowned, Spafford wrote down some words that described both the intensity of his grief and his hope in God:

“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.’”

Kenneth Osbeck noted:  “Humanly speaking, it is amazing that one could experience such personal tragedies and sorrows as did Horatio Spafford and still be able to say with such convincing clarity, ‘It is well with my soul.’”

How can a person face such tragedies with such hope and assurance?

1.  Know that God loves you.  In the world, we will have troubles, even tragedies (John 16:33).  Yet, God loves each and every one of us.  His love has been profoundly demonstrated in giving His Son to die for each one of us.  “This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" 
(1 John 4:10).  Jesus is the “propitiation” of our sins in that He took the punishment 
for our sins upon Himself; He was our substitute.

2.  Know that through Christ we can be saved from our sins.  One’s sins are forgiven through Christ when he/she responds in trusting obedience to Him through faith (Hebrews 11:6), turning from sin to Him in repentance (Acts 17:30), confessing Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), being baptized (immersed) in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38), AND faithfully following His will as a way of life (1 John 1:7).

3.  Know that because of Christ, there is assurance of better things to come.  Because of Christ, even death does not have the final word.  In fact, the reward for the faithful Christian is eternal life in a place where “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

Because of these things, no matter what a person may face in this life, the Christian can say with assurance, “It is well with my soul.”

Is it well with YOUR soul?