A Soul Held Strong

You are faithful to your promises, O my God.

Psalm 71:22, NLT

Horatio Spafford planned a vacation for his family in England to hear D.L. Moody preach. He sent his wife and four daughters ahead on the S.S. Ville du Havre. He planned to join them in a few days. Their ship was struck by another vessel and sank in twelve minutes. Over two hundred people died including Spafford’s daughters. He received a cable from his wife, “Saved alone.”

How can you respond when the worst imaginable thing happens, life is altered, and there is seemingly no hope? In the midst of his great loss, Horatio Spafford’s soul was held in place by a promise in God’s Word, and he sat down and wrote the beloved hymn that has comforted countless hearts, “It Is Well with My Soul.” His eyes were lifted beyond the here and now of this temporal life to an eternal future with the Lord, bringing comfort to his soul.

Lord, when I am hurting, hold my soul in place and keep me hopeful with the promises in Your Word. Amen.