When you hear the phrase "It is Well", there are two different songs that might come to mind. The first is It is Well by Bethel Music and Kristene DiMarco. It was released in 2014 and is a popular worship song that is sung at many churches, including mine.
I first heard this song in the fall semester of my senior year of high school. I was on the vocal team at my church and we were performing this song on a particular weekend. Here I was, a senior in the midst of college visits and applications, trying to figure out where I would be spending the next four years of my life. Anyone who has been through the process of selecting a college will agree that is both an exciting and stressful time. I was standing on stage singing this song, letting the lyrics wash over me, tears filling my eyes as I connected the lyrics to what was happening in my life.
But honestly, I can connect the lyrics to any situation in my life, and so can you. "Let go, my soul, and trust in Him, the waves and wind still know His name." Whether it's school, extra-curriculars, marriage, children, health, parents, friends, or significant others; whatever the situation is that you or I are struggling with, we can choose to let it go. You can choose to put your burdens and troubles in the hands of our Almighty Lord, and trust that He's got it, He will take care of it. It doesn't matter how big or scary the situation, whatever the enemy throws your way, God is greater. The enemy tries to wear us down and uses whatever he can to pull us out of God's grasp, but deep down, he knows that he's no match for God's power and sovereignty.
The song also repeats "It is well with my soul" numerous times. Don't we all have days when we just need to be still and repeat this phrase over and over again?
The second song that may come to mind is a hymn titled It is Well With My Soul. This hymn was written in the late 1800s, but it is still well known today. The lyrics are beautiful, but this one I love in particular, "Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul." And if you need to see that again, you can head over to my Instagram or my Twitter and see it in my bio on both sites, that's how much I love it! To me, it means that whatever is happening in our lives, we can have a spirit of contentment. We can choose joy regardless of our circumstances. At the end of the day, if we are followers of Jesus, it is well with our souls. Not only in our everyday lives, but it is well with our souls in that we are saved and bound to spend eternity in Heaven. Let's all try to truly live in the knowledge of this truth and let it flow into our thoughts, our feelings, our words, and our actions. Let's choose joy. Let's live with a spirit of contentment.
Jesus says in John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." It is well, friends, it is well.
