It Is Well With My Soul

I love this hymn, and as with many great hymns, the story behind it gives the words more meaning.

Horatio Spafford was a successful Chicago lawyer with one son and four daughters (still living with he and his wife). He had a large amount of money invested in Chicago real estate. By the late 1860's, Spafford had been blessed with a great family and very successfull investments.
Then, his son died and the Chicago fire of 1871 wiped out his holdings.

After loosing a child, and much of his fortune, Spafford and his family desperately needed a rest. So in 1873 he planned a trip to Europe with his wife and four daughters. Last minute business caused Spafford to delay his departure, but he sent his wife and four daughters on the S. S. Ville Du Havre as scheduled, promising to follow in a few days. On November 22 the ship was struck by the English ship Lochearn, and it sank in twelve minutes. Several days later the survivors landed at Cardiff, Wales, and Mrs. Spafford cabled her husband the brief message, "Saved alone."

When Horatio Spafford made the ocean crossing to meet his grieving wife, he sailed near the place where his four daughters had sunk to the ocean depths. There, in the midst of his sorrow, he wrote these unforgettable words that have brought solace to so many in grief:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll,

Whatever my lot,

Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blessed assurance control,

That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

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If you have time, check out this video:

It Is Well With My Soul