Lyrics
V1:
When peace, like a river attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll.
Pre-Chorus 1:
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.
V2:
My sin oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin not in part but the whole.
Pre-Chorus 2:
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul.
(Refrain)
V3:
And Lord haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll.
Bridge
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
praise the Lord, praise the Lord oh my soul.
(Chorus out)
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
It Is Well with My Soul presents a confession of steady faith in the midst of both peace and sorrow. The river and sea imagery places calm and turmoil side by side, yet the refrain keeps the song's focus fixed: the soul can rest in God regardless of circumstance. That confidence is not based on the absence of trouble, but on a trust that remains when sorrows rise.
The later verses move from personal trial to the forgiveness of sin at the cross, then to the hope of Christ's return. The line about sin being nailed to the cross closely echoes the New Testament picture of guilt being canceled. By ending with the trumpet and the Lord's descent, the song joins present assurance to future hope. Its repeated declaration becomes a quiet expression of peace rooted in the work and promises of God.
Related Scripture
- Colossians 2:14 The passage describes the record of debt being nailed to the cross.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16 Paul describes the Lord descending with the trumpet of God.