Lyrics
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.
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 hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
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!
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when the 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,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Written by Horatio G. Spafford
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
It Is Well With My Soul is a hymn text by Horatio G. Spafford, built as a series of declarations rather than a plea. Each verse names a real hardship, grief, temptation, mortality, and each one ends by returning to the same refrain: it is well with my soul.
The third verse ties that peace to a specific event rather than a feeling: "my sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross." That image is close to Colossians 2:14, where the record of debt against a person is described as nailed to the cross and taken away. The peace claimed in the refrain follows from that settled account, not from changed circumstances.
The final verses turn toward hope for Christ's return, close to 1 Thessalonians 4:16's picture of the Lord descending with a trumpet call. Audrey Assad's recording keeps that structure intact, letting the repeated refrain carry the same weight through both the hardest verses and the most hopeful ones.
Related Scripture
- Colossians 2:14 The record of debt nailed to the cross
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16 The Lord's return with a trumpet call