A hymn a day keeps satan away....? Day 1

I'm trying to eliminate the word "accident" from my vocabulary. Sure, I do things "accidentally" and sometimes things happen that cause "accidents" but knowing God's sovereignty and providence, I can no longer conclude that things happen "by accident." God is in control....nothing happens without His doing or permission.

Horatio Spafford understood that providence. His 4 daughters were killed when a ship collided with theirs while they were sailing on the Atlantic to Europe. This tragic "accident" inspired him to write the 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 has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has 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!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of 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.


Can you say these words during your trials? Can you see God's Hand during your sorrows? Praise be to God that there are no such things as accidents! This song has blessed me and has caused me to realize that the LORD sanctifies as He see's fit. And often, that sanctification causes a lot of pain. But God's mercy is new every morning. And because He loves us (believers) He trims the dead branches that hinder His face from view. Because of Spafford's loss, this hymn has comforted many in their losses. I pray that like Spafford, we can all say during our sorrows, "Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Oh my soul!" The LORD is enough! He alone is sufficient.