Lyrics
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has 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 has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for 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!
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.
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!
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.
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Meaning & Inspiration
It Is Well With My Soul sets deep sorrow beside settled confidence in Christ. Peace is not presented as the absence of trials; sea billows, spiritual opposition, death, and waiting all remain present in the hymn. Yet each verse returns to the assurance that the soul can rest because Christ has dealt with sin and remains faithful through life and death.
The hymn moves from present trouble to the cross, then toward the promised return of the Lord. Its language of sin nailed to the cross closely echoes the New Testament image of canceled debt, while the sounding trumpet and descending Lord recall Christian hope concerning resurrection and Christ coming again. This wide scope gives the refrain its force. The repeated declaration of wellness is grounded not in changing circumstances, but in redemption, divine peace, and future hope. Sorrow is fully acknowledged, yet faith answers it with praise and expectant rest.
Related Scripture
- Colossians 2:14 Paul describes the record of debt as canceled and nailed to the cross.
- Philippians 4:7 The passage describes the peace of God guarding hearts and minds.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16 The verse speaks of the Lord descending with a trumpet call.