During worship this past weekend we sang the hymn “It is well with my soul”. Suddenly I was overwhelmed and could not sing. The individual voices around me became clearer. I heard my youngest daughter on one side and my husband on my other side. I enjoyed their voices and listened as they sang the words to this hymn. The story of a man who had seen so much loss, but still managed to sing praises to the Lord.
This year I have two children graduating from college. My youngest has only one year left. My middle married daughter will have another year left to complete her teaching certification. My son will be looking for his first career position. He may be moving away from home and he may leave the state in search for the right placement. My youngest is headed to China for three weeks with her choir from school.
I have been blessed with so much. My children are mostly healthy. They are good students. They are my good friends too. My nest is becoming emptier and my husband and I will have to make adjustments. I will need more texting and emailing.
I still have my mother and my father as well as both my in-laws. I have been blessed in that they are in fairly good health. I try to communicate with them often to tell them of our lives and to share pictures. I can still hear my grandmothers and grandfathers. I still have their memories strong in my heart. And yet, I still miss them.
While I was listening to those around me, I suddenly saw and heard my relatives and friends around me. They were all singing praises to Jesus, our messiah. We focused on him. It was so good to be doing what we all loved to do and to feel their presence around me. Heaven will be joy unimaginable.
It is well with my soul –
And Lord, haste the day when my 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.
This hymn was written after several traumatic events in Spafford’s life. Between 1871 and 1873, he lost his son, his home and business and finally his 4 daughters. As he traveled to meet his grieving wife he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.
For more information see wikipedia
I Thessalonians 4:15-18 And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master’s word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they’ll be ahead of us.
The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God’s trumpet blast! He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.
