It’s no secret that life can be hard. For some situations, that’s an extreme understatement. It can present situations that are cruel, painful, sorrowful, and seem insurmountable. It is an unchangeable and unfair guarantee that you will face difficulties in your time on this earth. So, how then, do we keep moving forward? Take a look at the lyrics below from the song, “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.
Refrain:
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.
(Refrain)
- 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!
(Refrain)
- 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.
(“It Is Well with My Soul”)
Some of you may be familiar with the story behind this song, but I’m going to go ahead and share it for those who are not. Horatio Spafford was a businessman residing in Chicago with his wife and 4 daughters in the late 19th century. He and his wife, Anna, knew all too well the cruelties of life, as the death of their son to pneumonia and the loss of their business in the Chicago fires happened in the same year. They managed to push forward, trust God, and rebuild a thriving business despite these great losses. Little did they know what lie ahead of them. In 1873, two years after the loss of their son and business, Anna and her 4 daughters boarded a transatlantic ship heading for Europe, leaving Horacio behind to manage the business in their absence. Four days into the trip, the ship carrying the five Spafford ladies collided with a much larger, iron hulled ship, resulting in the death of over 200 passengers- all four of the Spafford daughters included. Anna managed to survive and was taken to Europe. On his way to join her, Horatio Spafford was called up to the captain’s deck 4 days into his journey and told that they were passing over the final resting place of his four beloved daughters. According to Bertha Spafford Vester, a daughter born to Horatio and Anna in later years, her father left the captain’s deck and penned this very song.
After reading this story, I encourage you to re-read those lyrics. What does it mean for it to be will with your soul? How does a man who has lost everything write something so beautiful about the goodness of God? How do you attain a state of wellness of your soul? The answer to that question is a very simple one- you can’t! Not by yourself. No man is strong enough on his own to attain wellness of the soul. Try as you might, it is just not possible. But when you enter into a partnership with God, all it takes is a whisper and He is there to comfort and console you. He sends Holy Spirit to flood every fiber of your being, soul included, with His love, joy, comfort, and peace. There is often confusion during the storms of life that God has brought them about to teach someone a lesson or because He is angry, when, in fact, the storm was never God’s doing at all. The reason we experience hardships in life is not because we have an angry God, but because we live in a fallen world gripped by sin. The good news is, God may not have created the storm, but He can certainly take what the enemy meant to destroy you and make it a platform for you to stand upon, undefeated, to declare the His glory.
In order for it to be well with your soul, your soul must first be healthy. So how do we achieve that? I’m glad you asked! Accessing your direct line to the peace of God is vital to a healthy soul. The Bible speaks so many truths pertaining to the peace that accompanies God. Philippians 4:7 states, “And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, shall keep your hearts, your minds through Christ Jesus.” There is no natural way to keep your peace when all hell lets loose- but THANK GOD (literally) we may live in a natural world filled with a million anxiety triggers, but we have the ability to believe and function in the SUPERnatural. God knew exactly what we needed in this life, which is just one of many reasons He sent Jesus to the earth as a model for us. Jesus gave us multiple examples of what it looks like to have peace even in the chaos. He exemplified the attributes of having a soul that is well. He WAS peace. Because his soul was well, he changed the atmosphere just by walking into a room. He could walk into a chaotic situation, and suddenly it was still. Because His soul was well, his physical demeanor followed suit, and in turn, so did the atmosphere wherever He went.
Secondly, He allowed God to be God. If you can grasp the revelation that God is God, and you are not, you will be SO much better off. Who would want that responsibility anyway? You have to know that God is in control. He knows what He is doing. You have to come to the realization that it is not your responsibility to make it all happen- it is your responsibility to let God make it happen, and to open your ears and heart to what He would say to you and where He would lead you. Psalm 23:1 says “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.” The reason for you not wanting anything is because your Shepherd already knows everything that you could possibly need and He is ready and willing to give it to you! Part of having a soul that is well is letting go and letting God! Trust Him- He will never fail you.
Communication with God is essential for maintaining the wellness of your soul. This is a two-part explanation. First- like my pastor always says- If you REVEAL it, God can HEAL it! God loves hearing from you. He loves listening to you. I am not a parent yet, but I am a child, and I know for a fact that I annoyed my parents more than once. But, our heavenly Father does not get annoyed with you talking to him- be it your needs and wants, or just conversation with Him. Too often we feel we are burdening God if we present our needs or talk to Him about our problems. Some of you were probably even told growing up that God is too busy with more important things to listen to you “complain”. Well, my friend, that couldn’t be further from the truth. His word would not tell us to cast our cares on Him (Ps. 55:22, I Peter 5:7) if He didn’t want to hear them and help you! God has also given people the gift of the ability to counsel those who are hurting. There is such a negative stigma towards counseling, and it is truly unfortunate. We are such a prideful people that we don’t feel we have license to not be okay. We have to be seen as “perfect” in the eyes of the world, and going to see a shrink must mean there is something wrong with us. But you are only as sick as your secret. I would love to take credit for that awesome revelation, but that belongs to Pastor Carl Lentz. Nevertheless, it’s a profound truth. If you continue to bury and make hidden every hurt, disappointment, frustration, need, want, or desire, it will being to manifest in your behaviour. Part of keeping your soul well is giving God the parts that aren’t.
The second part of this is what happens after the storm, once you’ve decided to ask God for the things He wants to give you and you get them. For most people, our prayer life is never better than when we are in need or when things are cray-cray. We’re like, “God, I need a new, higher paying job, a car, and a few husband prospects STAT!” or, “God, I need you to speak to all 67 of my unsaved family members in a way they understand so that they will be saved by the end of the year. M’kay? Thanks! Love Ya ;)” God, being the loving Father He is, gives us the desires of our heart all in the proper timing, but more often than not, as soon as we get those things, we revert back to maybe praying at church and, if we’re feeling super holy, over our meals, and that’s about it until the next storm. Now, there’s a few problems with operating this way, but a big one is, you get all of these things, and now you have new relationships to build, a new occupation to learn, a car that needs gas and maintenance, a romantic relationship to nurture and a decision to make on whether or not this is the right person for you, and a family of baby Christians to help teach and lead, and you decide to play God and leave Him out of the equation. Cuz you got this, right!? Wrong. Because, then we get mad when we become burnt out, bitter, and back at square one! We are a funny people, aren’t we. The Bible is very clear on how to find rest and sustain it. Matthew 11:28-30 tells us, “28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” It also says in Psalms 55:22, “Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you;” As it turns out, the secret to keeping your soul well is not so secret after all. You have to give it to God! And, in order for you to give it to God and for God to sustain you, you have to be in communication with Him! When you have an open line of communication with the Father, He is able to dispatch His Holy Spirit to help you and His angels to protect you. This doesn’t just mean praying here and there once or twice a week- it means being in your Word. If you want to hear what God has to say to you, you’re in luck- there’s a 66 chapter book chock full of His logos words for your life! It means going to church, building relationship with your fellow sheep, and being an active participant in corporate worship, even when you don’t feel like it! Some of the greatest breakthrough comes from pushing through your emotional and physical comfort to connect with the supernatural. Do not disconnect from the source of divine rest for your weary soul (another nugget from Mr. Lentz).
It is possible for it to be well with your soul, even when it is not well with your world. You cannot allow yourself to become a victim of your circumstances. Trust me, I know just how crazy life can be. The enemy is no respecter of persons- his mission is to steal, kill, and destroy anything our God gives us. That includes our peace. But, our Jesus didn’t give His life freely for you to go and live in a constant cycle with the same outcome of a tired and worn out mind, body, and soul. He did it for you to be more than a conqueror, to have the best life possible here on earth because of the beautiful bridge between heaven and earth He created. There comes a point in life where you have to make the conscious effort to say “It IS well!”, even if it’s not. This world is in a very negative state, and if you do not know the worth of your soul, the world will be the first to place a false, cheapened value on it. When your soul is well, nothing negative can stick. Remember that saying “I am rubber you are glue, whatever bounces off of me, sticks to you”? Imagine your healthy soul as rubber and the enemy as glue. When your soul is well, whatever the enemy throws at you bounces off of you and sticks right back onto him. When was the last time you checked up on your soul? Maybe it’s time to start working your way to a healthy soul. That may look different for each of you, but I encourage you- never be ashamed to reach out for help. Sometimes it just takes talking to someone. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in the right direction. If you feel led to go to counseling, do it! It doesn’t mean you’re crazy- it means you’re human. Make sure THE counselor is in on it too. God is the ultimate counselor, and He wants to listen because He loves you more than you will ever know. I definitely do not have it all figured out, but I am here for you, as well. Day or night, call me, beep me, if you wanna reach me! My prayer for you today is that the peace of God- the peace that passes all understanding; the peace that allows parents who have lost everything to rejoice- would flood your heart, mind and soul. I pray it is well with your soul.
XOXO
ELK
Emily Louise Keller 