2016 EngSep

SEPTEMBER, 2016 1
THE GOOD NEWS
SEPTEMBER, 2016
MONTHLY CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE
Horatio Spafford (1828-1888)
was a wealthy Chicago lawyer
with a thriving legal practice, a
beautiful home, a wife, four
daughters and a son. He was also
a devout Christian and faithful
student of the Scriptures. His circle
of friends included Dwight L.
Moody, Ira Sankey and various
other well-known Christians of
the day.
At the very height of his financial
and professional success,
Horatio and his wife Anna
suffered the tragic loss of their
young son. Shortly thereafter on
October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago
Fire destroyed almost every
real-estate investment that Spafford
had.
In 1873, Spafford scheduled
a boat trip to Europe in order to
give his wife and daughters a
much needed vacation and time
to recover from the tragedy, He
also went to join Moody and
Sankey on an evangelistic campaign
in England. Spafford sent
his wife and daughters ahead of
him while he remained in Chicago
to take care of some unexpected
last minute business.
Several days later he received
notice that his family’s ship had
encountered a collision. All four
of his daughters drowned; only
his wife had survived.
With a heavy heart, Spafford
boarded a boat that would take
him to his grieving Anna in England.
It was on this trip that he
penned this beautiful hymn: “It is
well with my soul”. The beginning
of this hymn is as follows:
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.
Though Satan should buffet,
though trials should come,

2 THE GOOD NEWS
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded
my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood
for my soul.
Recently we attended the funeral
of a dear friend who at the
tender age of forty-one years
passed away peacefully leaving
behind her husband and two
young boys. At her funeral the
choir sang Matt Redman’s version
of “It Is Well With My Soul”
which was so fitting because she
had completely placed her trust
in Jesus Christ and indeed knew
that above everything else, she
was secure in the knowledge of
His love for her. She often said
as she lay there unable to move,
‘I love Jesus so much’.
What a wonderful testimony
for those who had the privilege to
be around her during this time,
for this was her focus, not the illness
that had eventually immobilised
her. Only through God’s
grace can we be carried through
pain, loss or suffering. As we
read about or encounter people
who have travelled this path not
on their own but accompanied by
the promises of God in their life,
our spirits are lifted up and comforted.
The reality is that there is
a living hope, and this hope for
those who believe has eternal
implications and can sustain us
through life’s hardships.
The beginning of Matt Redman’s
version is as follows:
“Our scars are a sign of grace in
our lives,
And Father how you brought us
through.
When deep were the wounds and
dark was the night
The promise of your love you
proved.
Now every battle still to come
Let this be our song:
It is well, it is well,
With my soul, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.”
As you reflect on these
thoughts, we pray that you also
are able to say, come what may,
that “It is well, it is well, with my
soul”.
“Be anxious for nothing, but
in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known to
God; and the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”
(PHILIPPIANS 4: 6-7)

SEPTEMBER, 2016 3
Tom was a young man who
had a job as a chauffeur. He
earned a good salary, and his
boss was kind to him. But there
was one thing in his life that troubled.
Something that annoyed
him terribly. He had a loving and
caring, praying mother who lived
in a nearby town, and she visited
him frequently. But when she
came, she would speak to him
about Christ and his need of salvation.
“Mother,” he finally said, “I
can’t stand this any longer. If you
don’t drop that subject for good,
I’ll give up my job and move far
away where you can’t easily visit
me.”
“Tom,” said his concerned
mother, “as long as I can talk, I
will not stop telling you about
your need of the Saviour, and I’ll
always be praying for you.”
ESCAPE
Tom carried through on his
threat to move away. He wrote to
a friend who lived in a northern
town many miles away and
asked him to find him a job in that
part of the country. He knew his
mother could not follow him
there, and though he was sorry to
give up such a good job, he told
himself, “It’s worth it to have
some peace and quiet.”
His friend did find him another
job as a chauffeur, and Tom told
his mother that it was going to be
a relief to get away from her constant
preaching at him. But even
though Tom was moving far
enough away that his mother
could not visit him, he would
never get beyond the reach of
her prayers.
PURSUED
The first day Tom started his
new job, he was to drive Mr.
Wells, his new employer, out of
town. But instead of getting into
the back seat as was customary,
Mr. Wells sat in the front seat
alongside his new chauffeur.
He wants to see how I drive,
thought Tom. They had just
started the trip when Mr. Wells
turned and began to talk to him.
“Tell me, are you saved?” Mr.
Wells asked. If a voice had come
directly from heaven, it could
scarcely have surprised Tom
more. He was deeply shaken!
God has followed me all the
way up north here! he cried to
himself. I got away from my
preaching mother, but I can’t get
away from God! Tom wanted to
hide somewhere … far away. He
couldn’t answer Mr. Wells, and
he could hardly drive for his
trembling.

4 THE GOOD NEWS
His Christian employer went
on to tell him of Christ, and again
Tom heard the same gospel
message that his dear mother
had told him many times. But this
time it seemed to have new
meaning — God had indeed followed
him and was speaking to
him, and the message began to
sink in. But it did not seem to be
a message of good news to Tom;
it was a message of terror and
condemnation. He knew it was
Christ, the Son of God, whom he
had despised and rejected. He
understood for the first time that
he was a guilty sinner. Before
they reached the end of the trip,
the terrible guilt and fear that
gripped him made Tom physically
sick — too sick to carry on his
chauffeuring job, and so sick he
had to go to bed.
FORGIVENESS
For some days he could not
even get out of bed. But Mr.
Wells came to see him, to read
the Word of God and to pray.
Soon the love and grace of the
Saviour he had rejected began to
penetrate his heart, replacing the
terror and condemnation that had
overwhelmed him.
Tom saw there was mercy for
a person who had ridiculed and
despised God’s very own Son
and His loving offer of forgiveness.
He saw that the blood
of Christ is the answer before
God even for a rebellious sinner
like him, and he now believed in
his heart the truth of those wonderful
words, “We love Him, because
He first loved us” (1 John
4:19). He saw that the Lord Jesus
had borne the punishment for
his sins at Calvary and that, even
though he had hardened his
heart against God and against
his own mother, he was now forgiven
— without sin or stain in the
sight of a loving God who gave
up His only Son so that sinners
could be saved.
The first letter Tom wrote to
his mother was to tell her the
wonderful news: “God has followed
me all the way up north
here and has saved my soul!
Your prayers have been answered.”
“By grace are ye saved
through faith: and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God”
(Ephesians 2:8).
“Come unto Me, all ye that
labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest” (Matthew
11:28).)
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