October 23, 2010

2 Kings 4

Many who are familiar with the Hymn, It is Well also know the story behind its writing. The following three paragraphs can be read at Suite101: History of It is Well with My Soul: Horatio Spafford's Praise Worship Music Immensely Inspires http://www.suite101.com/content/hymn-it-is-well-with-my-soul-a32616#ixzz13CqlHG1u

Sometime in 1871, a fire in Chicago heavily devastated the city, and months before that , Spafford had invested hugely in real estate by the shore of Lake Michigan. The disaster greatly wiped out his holdings. Before the fire, Spafford also experienced the loss of his son.

Two years after the fire, Horatio Spafford planned a trip to Europe for him and his family. He wanted a rest for his wife and four daughters, and also to assist Moody and Sankey in one of their evangelistic campaigns in Great Britain. He was not meant to travel with his family. The day in November they were due to depart, Spafford had a last minute business transaction and had to stay behind in Chicago. Nevertheless, he still sent his wife and four daughters to travel as scheduled on the S.S. Ville du Havre, expecting to follow in a few days. On November 22, the ship laden with his wife and daughters was struck by the Lockhearn, an English vessel, and sank in few minutes.

After the survivors were finally landed somewhere at Cardiff, Wales, Spafford's wife cabled her husband with two simple words, "Saved alone." Shortly after, Spafford left by ship on his way where his beloved four daughters had drowned, and pen at hand, wrote this most poignant text so significantly descriptive of his own personal grief – "When sorrows like sea billows roll..." The hymn "It is Well with My Soul" was born.

What many do not realize is that Spafford’s refrain comes from 2 Kings 4. What an outlook this Shunemite woman possessed. Her miraculously-conceived-only son died. Asked by her husband as to the child’s condition she said, “It is well.” Asked by Gehazi of her condition, she replied, “It is well.” But Elisha saw beyond her response. He saw the dark anguish of her soul. He offered solutions to her, but she would not be satisfied with them. She would settle for nothing less than the one who had direct access to the Lord. Perhaps it was well with her soul for one reason, “She had direct access to the Lord through Elisha.” She had already learned of the glory of the Lord through her miraculous conception and through her time of hosting Elisha.

Am I so settled on the glory of the Lord that I can rest in the midst of dark anguish that I can say, “It is well?” The Shunamite woman could. Horatio Spafford could. We can too. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

1 Timothy 3

God is hard to understand. And why shouldn't He be? After all He is infinite. To completely understand infinity, wouldn't one have to be infinite? Can a finite being completely understand an infinite being? It is a logical impossibility. But there is another extreme that one can take--that is to say that the finite being cannot understand any of the infinite being. The finite being can understand as much of the infinite that the infinite chooses to allow the finite to see. So, what has our Infinite God chosen to reveal of Himself? It is what the Apostle Paul calls the "mystery of godliness". God was made known in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what the Apostle John referred to as

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. . . For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. . . No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.[1]



We can understand a little of what God is like when we look at Jesus, because He is God in the flesh. In the flesh Jesus was justified in the Spirit. What does that mean? Here is this God-man. He came to live the life that Adam failed to live and then having lived that life, He came to give His life a ransom for many. As a man, He was completely dependent upon the Holy Spirit to live as God wanted Him to live. Beginning from His baptism, where the Spirit descended upon Him as a dove, He began to do works of power in the Spirit. These works were accomplished through the Holy Spirit. These works culminated in His resurrection and ascension. They were all accomplished through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was giving demonstration of the Lord's Deity through the works He performed.

During His time on earth, Jesus was closely watched by the angels. It was a spiritual drama unfolding before their very eyes. What the angels had been wondering about what God was doing in mankind ever since the fall of Adam, God was accomplish before their eyes. And finally, they understood the beauty of His Son and His plan.

Oh but the glory of the Son doesn't stop there. He has chosen to use men to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to all the peoples of the earth. That is amazing! He could have used angels. He could have permanently written it in the stars so that we could look up into the sky and read the good news. But His plan was to use the preaching of men. Some might complain that it hasn't been very effective. However, I would respond by saying, "The gospel is spreading like wildfire across the world today. It is estimated that 100,000,000 people in China are born again. I did not get any of those zeroes wrong. There are more believers in China than the United States. In the mid 1950's Chairman Mao announced that they had closed the chapter on the church in China. You cannot close the glory of the Lord Jesus. It is impossible. His glory is infinite. The finite cannot stop the infinite. Today Mao is dead and the glory of Jesus is spreading across China and back toward Jerusalem with great power! Mighty works of proclamation of our infinite Lord are taking place constantly. He is being believed on in the world, even in Muslim countries where the gospel has been rejected for centuries.

Our Lord was received up into heaven in glory. He is being preached throughout the world in glory and He will one day return in glory, when His purpose of preaching to the nations is accomplished. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John



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[1] John 1:1,14,17,18