Peace like a river.

I have always enjoyed singing the hymn “It is well with my soul”. The meaning of the first verse never really came clear until I moved to my current home. The lines “When peace like a river attendeth my way ...” make a beautiful picture, but I grew up in a desert, far from any flowing river. I now live in a house overlooking the Mississippi River. Every day I see it flowing by. Some days in particular the river is so calm, it looks like glass. Peaceful, soothing.

So, what is the message of the hymn? Mr. Spafford wrote the song while on a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Earlier, he had lost his daughters in a shipwreck. He found peace with God in his grief. There really is not a better picture of peace than a calm river. When I sit by the river on a calm day, I am reminded of the peace of God. “It is well with my soul.” Is it well with yours?