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Do you have some songs of faith that you have a hard time with?

It Is Well is one of those songs. As we were singing this one time at church, I stopped suddenly and thought to myself, “Sometimes it is NOT well with my soul!”

What do we do in those moments?

This song wasn’t written by someone having an easy life without experiencing any sorrow. The author had been successful in his business decisions and had a large beautiful family. Did he write the song during those times? No, he wrote those words after he lost his daughters in a shipwreck, his son to illness, and many of his investments from the Great Chicago Fire. You can click the link to read the story behind the song.

So back to my question: what if things are not well with my soul?

Usually, when that question rises within me, it is because I am not very pleased with my life right then. You know the times – when the doctor gives a further diagnosis that is even worse than the first one. Perhaps when the teens just can’t find their footing in school while grief is still fighting for their emotions. It could even be that you have had to get a job to pay the bills since your husband passed away and that certainly wasn’t in your plans for your life.

I know these feelings well.

The times that it hasn’t been well with my soul have been when my soul didn’t think God was doing a very good job god-ing. Oh, I wouldn’t have said that out loud! Those statements only come in the wee hours of the night when I lie there, not sleeping, worrying, or thinking.

Why doesn’t God just help that adult child the way I think He should?

When will I feel normal again?

And what really is my soul?

When I googled the word soul for its definition, I read this: it is the spiritual essence of a person.

Well, that kind of changes everything. I know for certain that my spiritual essence belongs to God. It doesn’t matter that specific aspects of my earthly life are not the way I want, what matters is far beyond that.

My soul is well because it is connected forever with Christ, not blown around by my circumstances.

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be one, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NLT)

As I got to that passage in my study of 2 Corinthians recently, it struck me. It may not be well with my emotions, but it is well with my soul. And Christ helps me align the two through a divine perspective of my life. This is not all there is.

All the pain, the raw emotions, the relationship issues, and the health problems are all the “troubles we can see now”. What is the next phrase?

We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.

There’s the answer to my original question – what if it isn’t well with my soul?

When my soul belongs to God through salvation and forgiveness of sins, it CAN be well. While my life here on earth may be full of troubles, I know beyond a doubt that this is not all there is. I was made for eternity!

We sang this song again this week at church. I didn’t even have to grab a tissue this time – I knew it is well because it isn’t about my life here. It is well because of my final destination! I sang with more enthusiasm than I ever had before.

Jesus, thank You for bringing Your Word to our minds at the perfect time when we need it. Help us to fix our gaze on eternity and You, not only on our earthly struggles. Your Word is powerful and guides us at each step in this life. Give us hearts to seek You especially when the troubles of this world are pulling us down. Amen