In last night’s blog, we wrote about the popular hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul,” written by Horatio Spafford after his four daughters were killed in a terrible shipwreck. The melody for that beautiful song was written by Philip Paul Bliss, who himself had written many of America’s favorite spiritual hymns. After writing the music for “It Is Well with My Soul,” Philip, and his wife, Lucy, spent Christmas with his mother in Pennsylvania.

While there, Philip received a telegram inviting him to sing at Moody’s Tabernacle in Chicago on the last Sunday of the year. Moody’s Tabernacle was a large and famous church that, even after the original building was destroyed by fire in 1871, was attended by 1,000 children and their parents after they were relocated due to the fire. Philip was honored for the invitation, and he and Lucy, leaving their two children with his mother, took the Pacific Express and headed to Chicago.

While the train was traveling over a canyon near Ashtabula, Ohio, tragedy struck. The bridge collapsed and all the cars of the train, except the engine, plummeted into the ravine. Philip was one of the survivors and was somehow able to crawl out of a nearby window. Lucy, however, was trapped inside. Suddenly, a fire broke out. Philip, being urged by the other survivors not to go back in, was heard saying, “If I cannot save her, I will perish with her.” At the young age of 38, the great songwriter died in the flames with his wife.

Later, Philip’s trunk was recovered from the wreckage. Among his belongings were found the words to the last song he had written.

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
From the curse to set me free.

Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer,
With His blood, He purchased me.
On the cross, He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.

Suffering. It is the consequence of a world dominated by sin. We do not invite suffering into our lives; it is an unwelcomed guest. It does not ask permission to invade our space, but shoves its way past our defenses and into our habitation, usually at the worst of times. How different was the suffering of our Redeemer? He purposely walked down the corridor of grief and entered the room where suffering abided. He knew the moment He left heaven what He was getting Himself into, and He did it with joy, knowing that it was for the salvation of our souls. The Hebrews writer said about Jesus, “…who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame…” (Hebrews 12:2).

Suffering. I cannot imagine plunging myself into it on purpose, but that is what our Redeemer did for us. We should all sing of our Redeemer. What great love it took for Him to set us free.

Hebrews 2:9 (ESV)
⁹ But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.