Day 32
Horatio Spafford was a successful lawyer, businessman, and devout Christian who lived in Chicago in the late 19th century. However, his life was marked by tragedy and loss, including the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed much of his real estate holdings, and the death of his only son shortly thereafter. Despite these setbacks, Spafford remained committed to his faith and continued to work tirelessly to help others, including those affected by the fire and those in need of spiritual guidance.
In 1873, Spafford decided to take his family on a trip to Europe, hoping that the change of scenery and the opportunity to meet with fellow Christians would lift their spirits. Spafford’s wife Anna and their four daughters boarded a ship named the Ville du Havre and set sail for Europe. However, tragedy struck once again when the Ville du Havre collided with another ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and sank, killing 226 passengers, including Spafford’s four daughters. Hymnologist Ira Sankey writes in My Life and the Story of the Gospel Hymns:
In mid-ocean a collision took place with a large sailing vessel, causing the steamer to sink in half an hour. Nearly all on board were lost. Mrs. Spafford got her children out of their berths and up on deck.
On being told that the vessel would soon sink, she knelt down with her children in prayer, asking God that they might be saved if possible; or be made willing to die, if that was His will.
In a few minutes the vessel sank to the bottom of the sea, and the children were lost. One of the sailors of the vessel, named Lockurn—whom I afterward met in Scotland—while rowing over the spot where the vessel disappeared, discovered Mrs. Spafford floating in the water.
Ten days later she was landed at Cardiff, Wales. From there she cabled to her husband, a lawyer in Chicago [Illinois], the message “Saved alone.”
Can you even imagine? Upon receiving news of the tragedy, Spafford immediately set out for Europe to be with his grieving wife. While on the journey, Spafford wrote a poem that would later be set to music and become one of the most beloved hymns of all time: “It is Well with My Soul.”
In today’s short reading, we witness Jesus share the gift of His peace with His disciples. I can almost hear the opening line of the first verse of Spafford’s hymn of lament, “When peace like a river attendeth my way…”
Read John 14:27-31
The Passover Seder is coming to an end. Jesus shares some final thoughts before leaving for the Garden of Gethsemane. So far His Farewell Discourse has consisted of a new command to love one another through sacrifice and service as well as the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. Here Jesus shares one more gift - His peace, His shalom. He says, “My peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you.” (v 27) In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for peace is shalom, and in the New Testament the Greek word is eirene. The most basic meaning of shalom is “complete or whole.” Hold on! We’ve been learning about completeness through another symbol in the Gospel of John - the number seven. The 7th day, a 7-fold pattern, the 7 “I AM” statements and the 7 signs and miracles demonstrating Jesus’ divinity all denote a state where nothing is missing, all is complete - the essence of Shalom. Am I the only one who finds incredible peace in our God’s intentionality?
Shalom can also refer to a stone that has a perfect whole shape with no cracks or a completed stone wall that has no gaps and no missing bricks. Shalom refers to something that’s complex with lots of pieces that’s in a state of completeness, wholeness, conveying not merely the absence of conflict and turmoil but also the notion of positive blessing, especially in terms of a right relationship with God. And here’s the kicker - this peace may be manifested most clearly amid persecution and tribulation. The core idea is that life is complex, full of moving parts and relationships and situations, and when any of these is out of alignment or missing, shalom breaks down. Life is no longer whole. It needs to be restored. In fact, that’s the basic meaning of shalom when you use it as a verb. To bring shalom literally means to make complete or restore.
So Jesus gives His disciples the gift of His peace and then explains why they are going to need it. There will be a parade of hard and confusing happenings over the next few days. They will be fearful and anxious in their bodies as they enter into the chaos and confusion. Most important He wants them prepared for the ruler of this world, Satan, coming in the person of Judas and those with him. Jesus iterates that He is not subject to Satan, for Satan has no claim on Him. Satan cannot force Jesus to do anything, because Jesus willingly submits to the suffering that is to come, out of obedience to his Father, “so that the world may know that I love the Father.” (v 31)
Jesus was the whole, complete human that neither His disciples or we could be, and now He gives us His life of peace, of shalom, as a gift. This means that we as Jesus’ followers are now called to cultivate peace. The Apostle Paul instructed the church at Ephesus to keep their unity through the bond of peace, requiring significant humility and patience, bearing with others in love:
“Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling -one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (Eph 4:1-6)
Becoming people of peace means participating in the life of Jesus, who reconciled all things in heaven and earth, restoring peace through his death and resurrection. Peace takes a lot of work because it’s not just the absence of conflict. True peace requires taking what’s broken and restoring it to wholeness, whether it’s in our lives, our relationships, or in our world. It’s not how the world offers peace, numbing or shutting out the hard parts of our current state, but how Jesus offers it - by giving Himself.
Big Picture Questions for Today:
* How has Christ’s peace carried you, settled you, given you the will to trust and obey?
* How are you cultivating peace in your relationships? Is there a specific relationship that is not marked by peace? How might you take steps to restore it to wholeness?
Pray and thank Jesus for His gift of peace. Look for expressions of that peace today - in creation, in interactions with others - and acknowledge it as His good gift to you.
Lastly, please enjoy Horatio Spafford’s hymn, “It is Well With My Soul,” inspired by Spafford’s own personal tragedy and his unwavering faith in God. This beautiful song of lament is complete with movements of cry for help, complaint, a bold ask and trust in his God’s sovereignty. Each verse is followed by the refrain, “It is well with my soul; It is well, it is well with my soul.” You can almost hear Spafford calming, resting in His Savior’s peace, hopeful and comforted even in the face of overwhelming tragedy.
It Is Well With My Soul | Reawaken Hymns | Official Lyric Video
