Peace Like a River

It has been such a busy last 4 weeks that I have not done daily reflections. There are so many good things that have happened that I am blessed for, so I decided to read today's Daily Devotional. I found the following story by one of our volunteers in Guana. I found it comforting. I hope you do to. Have a blessed weekend.

When I first heard the story of the famous song, "When Peace Like a River," I asked myself why is it that God allows His people to go through such sufferings and calamities. What will our friends and relatives say about God when things go bad for us?

The songwriter of the well-known song had a similar experience, and this is what influenced him to write the song. He was a lawyer who had amassed wealth through his labor but lost all his properties through a fire. Surprisingly, his trust in God was not affected a bit. As if that was not enough, while crossing the Atlantic, all four of his daughters died in a collision with another ship. His wife survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone."

What a tragedy! What a calamity in the life of a Christian. When he received the message, he was never worried about his trust in His God but wrote the wonderful song which said, "Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul."

Amazing as it may seem, God has truly taught us to say, "it is well" when we encounter unfortunate circumstances. He promises us in His Word that He told us these things, so that we may have peace. In this world we will have trouble; however, we should take heart because Christ has overcome the world through His perfect life, His sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection. What a comforting and refreshing message for all of us as we are going through troubles.

We need the Word of God to strengthen us each day of our lives so as not to lean on our own strength but to put all our trust in the Lord who will guide our paths. In this regard, when calamity befalls us, we are sure God will empower us and we can also say, "It is, indeed, well with my soul."