In 1873, Horatio Spafford planned a trip to Europe with his family. They were to leave Chicago and cross the Atlantic by boat to join his friends DL Moody and Ira Sanky at an evangelistic crusade they were having in England. The time away was meant to help the family grieve the loss of their son two years earlier, and the later loss of much of Spafford’s real estate holdings that burned in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Just before their departure, Spafford decided to remain at home to attend to some last minute business. He sent his wife and four daughters ahead as scheduled, promising to join them shortly. Some days later, Spafford received a telegraph from his wife reading, “saved alone.” An accident mid-voyage caused their ship to sink. The Spafford’s four daughters drowned.
Spafford immediately left to join his grieving wife in England. At the proper time, the captain of the ship called for Spafford to inform him they were sailing over the location believed to be the final resting place for his daughters. Reeling from his loss, Spafford wrote to a family member,
On Thursday last we passed over the spot where she went down in mid-ocean, the water three miles deep. But I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs, and there, before very long, shall we be too. In the mean time, thanks to God, we have an opportunity to serve and praise Him for His love and mercy to us and ours. I will praise Him while I have my being. May we each one arise, leave all, and follow Him.
Horatio Spafford personified the words of Jesus spoken to His disciples.
In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
Life accounts such as Horatio Spafford’s and the book of Job bring us face to face with tragedy and suffering that is unimaginable, and yet a part of every Christian’s life. We each experience waves of great loss and pain that sweep over us, making us feel as if we are drowning in grief. We look to heaven and question why God allows such sorrow. We doubt His love in the depths of our despair. Jesus’ response is always the same.
Jesus wept. John 11:35
Isaiah reminds us that Jesus is “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3) The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is able to be our Great High Priest precisely because He is able to sympathize with our weaknesses having experienced them Himself. (Hebrews 4:14-16) Jesus did not shy way from the pain of the cross, but embraced it, considering the joy to come, knowing that through His suffering we would be made free. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
The Christian life is a commitment.
Just as in marriage, if we enter into our relationship with Jesus carrying expectations of an easy, pain free life, we are going to grow disillusioned and feel cheated. But, if we rejoice in the fact that we can endure the trials of life together, gleaning strength from our union, then we will be able to endure with joy as Jesus did.
Moments after crossing over the waters that had claimed his children’s lives, Horatio Spafford penned these words:
When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea-billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to know
It is well, it is well with my soul.Tho’ Satan should buffet, tho’ trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed his own blood for my soul.
Spafford, like the Apostle Paul, had learned to be content in any state of wealth or loss God allowed for him. (Philippians 4:11)
Sorrows are inevitable.
Trials will come. They will roll over us like ocean waves, the undertow pulling us down into depression, allowing us to surface just long enough to catch a breath before crashing over us again. It is the curse of sin upon the earth that we must endure. Psalms 30:5 reminds us that “weeping may tarry for a night, but joy comes with the morning.”
Every midnight has its sunrise. Your determination to be true to Christ in the night will be a beacon to others, shining hope into their storms as well. Cling to Christ in the dark. He understands your grief and He weeps with you. Pray to the Holy Spirit who comforts you and to God the Father who loves you. You are not alone. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)
Every midnight has its sunrise. Click To TweetInformation on Horatio Spafford gleaned from spaffordhymn.com and sharefaith.com