When Peace, Like a River
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.
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.
He lives – oh the bliss of this glorious thought.
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to his cross, and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
And, Lord, haste the day when our faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trumpet shall sound, and the Lord shall descend;
Even so it is well with my soul.
By Horatio G Spafford
- Have you ever been blindsided by a shocking event – such as being called into your supervisor’s office a half hour before closing for the announcement you have been laid off, even though 24 hours earlier you were told your performance was the highest in your department? How did you feel?
- The hymnwriter compares sorrows to ocean waves, which can knock you down and roll you over, even on a beach playground. What does the hymnwriter do when he is knocked down? What do you do?
- What does the hymnwriter think will control his reaction to the troubles that have rocked his world?
- What sort of intervention does the writer ask God to make on his behalf? Or does the writer think something has already been done for him? If so, what?
- In order to look forward with confidence, what does the writer look forward to?
- Can you write a prayer that only praises God as a response to something in your life that troubles you?
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