It Is Well
It is well….. With my soul….. It is well, it is well with my
soul…… How many times have you heard these words, sung by a chorus of voices
resonate off the stained-glass walls of an old church? For me, I’ve lost count.
In the past, this song was one that annoyed the daylights out of me. It was a
hymn that old people sang; one that didn’t mean anything to me. It’s stayed
that way as long as I can remember.
Recently, God has really been trying to get a hold of me. I
was let go from my job in June after only three months of official employment,
and although I knew it was coming (I was seasonal), it definitely threw me for
a loop. I planned to get another job within only a few days, but all but one
application I turned in was denied. I was forced to pay my expenses (including
driving 400 miles a week for two months for school) from my measly life savings
of less than $1000. The plus side was, I was able to spend a week this year as
a counselor/ photographer for my church’s summer camp at the end of July. There,
He totally rocked my world.
Camp this year was amazing, but so definitively different
than any of my past seven years. Going into camp, between being unemployed and
other issues, I was pretty much focused on spending time with friends I hadn’t
seen in a year and just having fun. It turned out, I hardly spent time with my
friends other than at meals, and ended up sitting behind my computer most of
the day putting together slideshows from the photos we got. By the end of the
week, I realized, I had hardly spoken to anyone. Also, God was doing some
AMAZING things in our kids, which meant the devil tried to do everything he
could to stop it; that meant a lot of warfare on the leaders. I will admit, I
really struggled with certain topics, certain people, and certain situations.
During our last night there, while praying over a girl to
receive the Holy Spirit, I had another, more senior leader pray over me. I
couldn’t catch all that she said, but what I did hear, confirmed a
desire/calling I’ve had on my heart for four years. It was so amazing to
finally feel as though I have the go-ahead to pursue it, and such a blessing!
Now to tie the song into this tangent…….. There’s just a lot
going on in my life, and I’m struggling with a lot. As a member of my church’s
worship team, we met recently to pick some new songs to introduce to the
congregation in the next few months. One happened to be “It Is Well” by Bethel
Music. Hearing only the first verse and chorus, I totally connected to it! It
made sense.
When I have no job……
IT IS WELL
When I have the ability to travel and see people I love…..
IT IS WELL
When I get a job, but I don’t make enough to pay for
anything…… IT IS WELL
When I am blessed with some of the best friends in the world…..
IT IS WELL
When I struggle with feeling like I matter…… IT IS WELL
When I get to worship alongside my favorite people….. IT IS
WELL
When nothing is going right…… IT IS WELL
When everything is going amazing….. IT IS WELL
I have now had this song on continuous replay for a week
straight, and I still worship along with it every single time. I am learning
that just as the lyrics of the original say “Whatever my lot, thou hast taught
me to say, it is well with my soul!” No
matter what is thrown my way, no matter how terrible things will get, as long
as HE is on my side, it will forever be well with my soul.
So….. what about your soul?
