Gospel Greats -- 'It Is Well With My Soul' Quiz

Answer: river

The missing word is 'river'.

'It Is Well With My Soul' was written by Ho­ra­tio G. Spaf­ford in 1873. Spafford was born Oc­to­ber 20, 1828, in North Troy, New York and died Oc­to­ber 16, 1888, in Je­ru­sa­lem, of ma­la­ria. He is buried in Je­ru­sa­lem.

Answer: sea

The missing word is 'sea'.

The music for 'It Is Well With My Soul' was composed by Philip B. Bliss in 1876. He was born Ju­ly 9, 1838, in Clear­field Coun­ty, Penn­syl­van­ia. Shortly after composing the music for the hymn, Bliss died in a tragic train wreck caused by a bridge collapse at Ash­ta­bu­la, Ohio. "He sur­vived the in­i­tial im­pact, but went back in­to the flames in an un­suc­ces­sful at­tempt to res­cue his wife," according to the Website Cyberhymnal.org. "The night be­fore that ter­ri­ble rail­road ac­ci­dent at Ash­ta­bu­la, he said to his au­di­ence, 'I may not pass this way again' then he sang a so­lo, 'I'm Go­ing Home To­mor­row.' This in­deed proved pro­phe­tic of his own home go­ing."

Cyberhymnal.org goes on to state: "The re­mains re­trieved from the Ash­ta­bu­la dis­as­ter were placed in a com­mon grave marked by a cen­o­taph in the Ash­ta­bu­la Cem­e­te­ry. A cen­o­taph in mem­o­ry of the Bliss­es was al­so erect­ed in the cem­e­tery at Rome, Penn­syl­vania, Ju­ly 17, 1877."

Answer: say

The missing word is 'say'.

Horatio Spafford, writer of 'It Is Well With My Soul', was a prominent lawyer and wealthy businessman and he and his wife Anna were the parents of four daughters. It appears the world was his oyster. However, he would suffer immense heartbreak before he wrote the words to the popular hymn.

Answer: come

The missing word is 'come'

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 spelled financial ruin for Horatio Spafford as buildings he owned were destroyed by the monstrous inferno. Despite his immense loss, the Website Cyberhymnal.org reports Spafford and his wife Anna "de­vot­ed count­less hours to help­ing the sur­viv­ors."

Answer: soul

The missing word is 'soul'.

As if losing his property in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 wasn't enough, Horatio Spafford would suffer even more heartbreak. Two years later, his wife and their four daughters would be involved in a horrific maritime disaster.

Answer: thought

The missing word is 'thought'.

In 1873, Horatio Spafford's wife Anna and their four children were crossing the Atlantic on the Ville du Havre heading for London, England. Due to business concerns, he stayed behind opting to catch up with his family later. Spafford would never see his children again.

Answer: more

The missing word is 'more'.

The steamship Ville du Havre, which carried Horatio Spafford's wife and four daughters, was struck by an iron sailing vessel and according to Wikipedia, 226 people lost their lives, including all four of Spafford's daughters. The four daughters who perished in the sinking of the Ville du Havre were eleven-year-old Tanetta, nine-year-old Elizabeth, five-year-old Margaret Lee, and two-year-old Anna.

Answer: life

The missing word is 'life'.

With the mind numbing reality of being devastated by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the deaths of four of his daughters on the sinking on the Ville du Havre in 1873, Horatio Spafford sat down and did the seemingly unthinkable: He wrote the words to 'It Is Well With My Soul'.

Answer: goal

The missing word is 'goal'.

After hearing of the loss of his four daughters on the sinking of the Ville du Havre, Horatio Spafford booked passage on a ship and set sail for London to join his wife Anna who survived the maritime disaster. According to Cyberhymnal.org, Spafford wrote the words to 'It Is Well With My Soul' as he passed near the spot where his daugh­ters died. "The Ho­ly Spir­it in­spired these words," Cyberhymnal reports. "They speak to the eter­nal hope that all be­liev­ers have, no mat­ter what pain and grief be­fall them on earth."

Answer: soul

The missing word, of course, is 'soul'.

In 1881, Horatio Spafford and his wife Anna moved to Jeru­sa­lem (tak­ing two daugh­ters born af­ter the ship­wreck tra­ge­dy) and helped found a group called the Amer­i­can Col­o­ny, Cyberhymnal.org reports. The purpose of the American Colony was to serve the poor and later the col­o­ny be­came the sub­ject of the No­bel prize win­ning "Je­ru­sa­lem", by Swed­ish nov­el­ist Sel­ma La­ger­lof, the Website reports.

Here are the words to the hymn 'It Is Well With My Soul':

"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.

Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

[Refrain]

My sin -- oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!-
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

[Refrain]

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

[Refrain]

But, Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!


[Refrain]

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

[Refrain]