Good morning,
Horatio Spafford was a successful, young businessman in Chicago, when the Great Chicago Fire broke out in 1871. The fire killed many hundreds of people and destroyed the Chicago business district where Spafford was heavily invested. The fire was followed by a severe economic downturn in America. Spafford and his wife had planned to travel to England; but, having some business to finish, he sent his wife and four daughters on ahead, with plans to follow them soon.
Tragically, the ship on which the Spafford ladies traveled, SS Ville du Havre, was involved in a terrible collision with another ship and rapidly sank. All four of the Spaffords' daughters perished in the accident. His wife, alone, was saved.
Ephesians 6:16 says this:
"In every situation, take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."
Shortly after receiving word his daughters had died, Spafford made the lonely journey across the sea to reunite with his grieving wife. Although brokenhearted, as he passed the area where the collision had occurred, he wrote the words to that now-famous hymn: "It is Well With My Soul".
- 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.- Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
- Refrain:
- Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul. - 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! - For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. - But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul! - And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG525x2mUTU
It is "reasonable" to have faith when things are smooth and silky. When a boulder comes crashing down on us, faith seems almost repugnant. Sometimes, the idea of having faith in the face of tragedy makes us angry. In his hideous circumstances, Spafford found peace because he deliberately chose to take up the shield of faith and use it to quell Satan's attacks on his life.
Faith and trust in Him who loves us perfectly is the only worshipful response. Even when we don't feel His love, it never fails. Even when we don't understand His ways, His love for us is constant and everlasting. Faith and only faith during desperate times will draw us close to Him. Only faith will bring us new life and new victory.
"In every situation..."
Faith in times of heartbreak or desperation is counterintuitive. So is giving thanks. Yet, we are also commanded to respond thankfully in all situations (1 Thess. 5:18) What kind of mentally ill person gives thanks or praises the name of the Lord or declares her faith in her Savior during times of tragedy? Illogical! Unreasonable! Still, that is what we are commanded to do.
Look at the example of David, who begged and prayed that God would spare his toddler son. When the word came that the child had died, David said and did this:
18Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!” 19But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.” 20So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the LORD and worshipped.
2 Samuel 12:18-20
We read in the book of Job, chapter 1 that, when told all 10 of his children had been killed in a massive storm, Job said this:
"The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
Job 1:21
Truly, these are examples of faith which is supernatural.
My heart is broken when friends and loved ones lose a son or daughter, husband or wife, mother or father, sister or brother, precious friend without warning, being emotionally unprepared for the onslaught of Satan's flaming arrows. I can't pretend to understand the depth of their grief. I can't even say that I would take up the shield of faith like David did, as Job did. I probably wouldn't.
In fact, I'd probably rant and rave, scream and cry like a banshee. At best, I MIGHT respond more like Jesus's friend, Martha did, when she said to the Lord,
"If You had been here, my brother would not have died."
(John 11:21)
While that statement expresses great faith and deep belief, it also carries a taint of accusation, a questioning of why Jesus allowed Lazarus to die in the first place. What did Jesus ask Martha to do? He asked her to have faith in Him.
40Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
(John 11:40)
There is only one way that such faith is possible. Faith is the gift of God, both for salvation and for salvation...the eternal salvation that will carry us to Heaven and the salvation of our sanity through the cataclysmic events of this earthly life. Only through the power and work of the Holy Spirit can we take up the shield of faith in the face of flaming arrows. Only He can give true peace.
A few days ago, a young man in his early 30s dropped dead suddenly. He was a godly young man, a member of a large, Baptist church here in my area. He left behind a Christian wife and three young children. Yesterday, his widow walked into a local bank and spoke with the teller, who is a member of our church's college youth group. The young widow testified to my younger friend about the supernatural faith and peace God has given her through her horrible ordeal, how He continues to sustain her and how she is confident He will carry her through the difficult days ahead. The world is not worthy of such faith (Hebrews 11:38).
Heavenly Father, there are times when the shield is so heavy that only through the supernatural power or Your Holy Spirit can we even contemplate lifting it. As we reach to pick it up, we are reminded that You are near to the brokenhearted and that you save those whose spirits have been crushed (Ps. 34:18-19). Oh LORD, please be that everlasting, all-encompassing Comforter to them in their pit of despair and deliver them. Deliver them through their grief. Pour out your healing on their wounded spirits. Although it may seem that joy has fled forever, restore Your joy to them again. In Jesus' name, amen.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Is_Well_with_My_Soul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG525x2mUTU
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