Peace in the middle of the storm

SUMMARY: Horacio Spafford, a hymnologist, went through a series of terrible sufferings, including the death of his only son, financial ruin in the Great Chicago Fire, and the sinking of the Ville du Havre ship, which resulted in the death of his four daughters. His wife survived and sent him a telegram with the words, "The only one saved." He was inspired to write the famous hymn "I Reached Salvation." Despite his sufferings, he and his wife founded The American Colony in Jerusalem to serve the poor. Spafford had learned what it means to have peace in the midst of a storm.

"I Reached Salvation" is one of the most beautiful and influential hymns ever written in the entire history of Christianity. It was composed by the hymnologist Horacio Spafford after going through a series of terrible sufferings. The first was the death of his only son in 1871, followed shortly after by the Great Chicago Fire, which He ruined him financially (he had been a very successful lawyer). Later, in 1873, he sent his family ahead of him on the Ville du Havre ship to later meet them in Europe, while he was solving business problems in Chicago.

As his wife and daughters crossed the Atlantic, their ship quickly sank after colliding with the ship Loch Earn, and Spafford's four daughters perished. His wife Anna survived and sent him a famous telegram with the terse words, "The only one saved." A short time later, while crossing the Atlantic to meet his wife near the place where his four daughters perished, he was inspired to write the glorious words of his famous hymn, which has given courage and inspiration to millions of believers throughout the world. world: