Yesterday I was on the bus at 7:00 pm, riding home from a day of a joyful ministry with college women. Our team was tired and standing on a winding city road when one of my teammates patted me.
“Chicago” She said pointing up to the radio. The nightly news was on and in middle of Quito Ecuador they were talking about people who died in Chicago.
My heart sank. I felt sick and immediately started googling news reports, something wasn’t right but I couldn’t understand the news enough to know what.
Another shooting, this time just a short drive from my hometown. In a town where I had friends, a town where I had spent time. And in a time of remembering past mass shootings in Illinois history.
I got off the bus, sat on a curb and cried while praying to God. I was taken aback, being so far from home during this felt wrong. It felt wrong to hear about my town and be countries away. To hear about Ecuadorian news reports talking about our loss, I was scared.
Sometimes among the trees, and the mountains I forget about the brokenness of the world around us, the brokenness in us. The reason we need Jesus.
My teammate took my hand and prayed with me. My host family talked to me about God’s saving grace. And I recalled the one thing I needed to remember in this situation- God.
That’s when I remembered that God had been preparing me for this news this week.
A few hours earlier I had been listening to a podcast, a sermon delivered after a shooting, a sermon about our broken world and about our faith statements. How one man named Horatio made a faith statement during his grieving that would live on from 1871 to present day. That would resonate with the pain and suffering in this world.
It is Well with My Soul.
You see my sermon outlined the song’s author Horatio’s life:
Horatio Spafford created the song coinciding with the tragedies in his life, times when his entire spirit was aching for Gods help. It started in Chicago in 1871, the Great Chicago fire destroyed his financial investments, his son then died at the age of two. His family decided to take a trip to see a friend in Europe but due to lasting issues from the fire Horatio sent his family ahead and stayed behind to work.
During their boat ride the ship crashed, killing 226 people, including Horatio’s 4 girls, his wife was one of twenty-two survivors. Horacio did as any of us would in this moment, he booked a ship and left to reunite with his wife, broken hearted.
During his travels the ship passed over the spot where his four daughters had drowned. In his grief and despair that night he wrote:
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.
I listened to a 30 minute sermon on Horacio on a bus yesterday before tragedy reached my ears about Aurora.
In my headphones I heard- “It is well with my soul was his statement of faith. That even though nothing was was right he was declaring it was right in his soul- he was speaking it action, praying it to a God he believed in whole-heartily.
In the midst of missing home in a time of tragedy I was able to look up and say it is well with my soul. To remember some of Jesus’ final words to his disciples and how they still ring true today.
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.”
We will struggle. We will cry out in pain at times. Life isn’t easy, and doesn’t get easier as Christians- we all will have troubles. But Jesus has overcome the world.
Jesus says “have peace”, make it well in your soul. We can still have comfort in our God even when the World around us seems to be falling apart, or when we are worlds apart from family in this time. Take Heart. He HAS overcome.
So today if your heart aches for the community of Aurora, aches for the workers, aches for the police officers, aches for the country I encourage you to life your hands and say “it is well with my soul.” Take peace in God, and declare your own statement of faith. Or pray alongside me tonight as I write out my prayer and statement of faith.
My prayer tonight:
“Lord thank you for overcoming this world and giving us peace in our souls even during the storms in our lives. Tonight Lord I pray for the families who have lost people. I pray for the lives taken. I pray for your love to surround those grieving this week, to wrap your arms around them. To give them space to cry out, and to find peace in their soul. I pray for first reponders Lord, for healing of those shot. I pray for the shooter and his soul Papa. I pray for his family and their lose during this time. I pray for forgiveness, and for love amidst the hurt tonight Lord. I pray for Aurora, they are strong tonight, they stand together. And we stand with them, from Illinois to Ecuador we are praying tonight Papa. In Jesus’ name I pray- Amen.”
My statement of faith tonight: Lord even though I am countries away I know that your hands are wrapped around Aurora. My soul is at peace and I am forever grateful for you.
What is your statement of faith tonight? Comment below, I’d love to hear them!
