Penny For Your Thoughts by: Nancy Whitaker
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
Some of our hymns are very old and have been sung for years. When i hear or think of a hymn, I say, “I remember singing that at church when i was little. A lot of the old hymns have been written because of an event in the writers life.
The hymn “It is Well with my soul was written by Horatio Spafford This was the only hymn ever written by Spafford. The song came from unimaginable tragedy. Spafford was an affluent attorney in Chicago with a large family. Then his life took a turn for the worse.
Horatio and his wife Anna had lost their young son to a fever. Then the great Chicago fire destroyed almost all his real estate holdings.
Spafford then planned a trip to Europe for a vacation, but he was called away at the last minute. He sent his family ahead, planning to take the next ship. During the voyage, a freighter broadsided the ship in the night, causing it to sink. Spafford received a cable from his wife, “Ship sunk. I am lone survivor.”
On the voyage to meet his devastated wife, the captain slowed the ship and Spafford went out on deck to see where his daughters had perished.
He returned to his cabin, sat down and wrote the words, “When sorrow like sea billows roll; it is well, it is well with my soul.”
From one man’s tragedy a hymn was born that has provided comfort to many.
The circumstances under which a hymn was written under, provides a deeper understanding of its meaning.
These songs are far more than wonderful words on a page. For a writer, they represent the outpouring of their soul where the only possible comfort came from a higher source.
2023 marked the 150th anniversary of “It Is Well with My Soul”. There were commemoration services held to remember the actual day of the tragedy, November 22, and a new edition of the book “It Is Well with My Soul”: from tragedy to trust, was also published in the anniversary year.
Another beautiful hymn lived by all is:
HOW GREAT THOU ART
Imagine the late 1800s in the Swedish countryside, where a Pastor, Carl Boberg, found himself in the middle of a sudden thunderstorm. Nature, in all its wonder, unfolded before him, giving him a sense of awe and humility.
During this divine encounter, Boberg penned the initial version of “How Great Thou Art,” which captured the heart stirred by the wonders of creation.
Time passed and then an English missionary Stuart K. Hine came across the Swedish version of Boberg’s hymn. The melody, full of the spirit of worship, deeply moved Hine, who translated and made the song into what it is today.
Now this song has traveled around the world. The hymn journeyed from Sweden to the hearts of worshippers and churches worldwide. Those lyrics’ have the power to resonate with believers everywhere.
In my piano shows i always play How Great Thou Art. People recognize it and can sing along.
IN THE GARDEN
… is another hymn known by many.
“In the Garden” (sometimes rendered by its first line “I Come to the Garden Alone” is a gospel song written by American song writer, C Austin Miles in 1912.
Miles was a former pharmacist who served as editor and manager at Hall-Mack publishers for 37 years.
According to Miles’ great-granddaughter, the song was written “in a cold, dreary and leaky basement in Pitman, NJ that didn’t even have a window in it let alone a view of a garden.”
Miles was also a photographer and was waiting on some film one day and sat down and penned the song.
The song was first published in 1912 and popularized during the Billy Sunday evangelistic campaigns of the early twentieth century.
Today, “In the Garden” is very heart-warming and most older folks and younger also know it.
THE OLD RUGGED CROSS
Written in 1913, George Bernard served for several years as an itinerant Methodist preacher and had a favorite scripture verse, John 3:16. “For God so loved the world”.
When quoting the verse, he seemed to always have a vision of a cross — a crude Roman instrument of death. It was stained with the blood of Christ, who gave his life in order that we might become Christians.
On one occasion, as he was thinking of Christ’s crucifixion, an original melody ran through his mind. Although it was a complete melody, very few words came with it. He struggled to write some appropriate lyrics, but all that came was the passage, “I’ll cherish the old rugged cross.” The song seemed to take shape in bits and pieces.
He returned from several preaching engagements to his home — 1101 E. Michigan Ave., Albion, Michigan — with a renewed meaning of the cross etched in his mind and heart.
He took the song manuscript and placed it on the kitchen table. In a very short span of time, he was able to rewrite the stanzas with each word falling perfectly into place. He asked his wife to join him in the kitchen. She did so and he joyfully sang his prized, new song. She was very pleased, expressing that the song was great.
There is a story behind almost every hymn. I have sung and played these old gospel tunes and love them.
Do you remember the old hymns? Do you have a favorite? Let me know and I’ll Give You A Penny For Your Thoughts
