Horatio Spafford faced a lot of loss. His business burned down in the Chicago Fire while he was still grieving the loss of his four year old son the year before. He worked hard for the next couple of years trying to help rebuild the city and needed a break. They decided to go join D.L. Moody in Europe for bit to get a break from the overwhelming work of rebuilding. As they were leaving he got held up with some urgent zoning and rebuilding issues. He sent his wife and four daughters ahead, but their boat hit another vessel in the Atlantic. He received a telegram from his wife that said, “Saved alone.” He took another boat to go meet up with his wife. When they arrived at the wreck site, the captain got Horatio and showed him. It was in that moment he penned the words to the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul.” In the middle of incredible loss, his outlook changed as he focused on God’s character.
In 1 Samuel 1, Elkanah went to Shiloh to offer his annual sacrifices. His wife Hannah, who had been barren, went with him. She desperately wanted a son for years. She was depressed, wouldn’t eat and was visibly sad about it. After her husband made his sacrifice, she went into the Tabernacle to pray where she wept bitterly before the Lord. Eli, the priest, saw her lips moving, but no words coming out. He assumed she was drunk and got onto her telling her to get rid of her wine. She responded she hadn’t been drinking, but was praying in anguish and desperation. He told her, “Go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad (NLT).
Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.” We all deal with loss and circumstances that steal our joy. Like these two examples it may occur over several years. Nothing had changed in either of their cases, but instead of staying focused on their situation, they trusted in the Lord and fixed their thoughts on Him. Instead of being crushed under the weight of everything, they stood on the eternal Rock. Their trust in God gave them peace in the midst of their circumstances. We can experience that same peace and countenance change when we keep our thoughts on God, trust in Him and have faith in His character over the moment we’re standing in.
Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 