When peace like a river, attends my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, You have taught me to know
It is well, it is well, with my soul.Refrain
It is well, (it is well),
With my soul, (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 has regarded my helpless estate,
And has shed His own blood for my soul.My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!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,
A song in the night, oh my soul!
On January 30, 1873, the iron sailing vessel Loch Earn docked in Port Adelaide, Australia, to restock and take on passengers before continuing its journey north. Less than a year later, on November 22, 1873, tragedy struck.
In thick fog at 3am, Loch Earn collided with the passenger steamship Ville du Havre while crossing the Atlantic.
The disaster claimed 226 lives, including all four daughters of American lawyer Horatio Spafford: Annie (12), Maggie (7), Bessie (4), and Tanetta (18 months). His wife, Anna, survived and, upon reaching Cardiff, Wales, sent a heartbreaking telegram to her husband: “Saved alone.”
While traveling to reunite with Anna, Horatio penned It Is Well with My Soul as his ship passed near the site where his daughters perished. The hymn went on to become a worldwide classic, sung in churches around the world.
Present and Future Plans
One of the millions touched by It Is Well with My Soul is Australian David Maegraith — a multifaceted creative, publisher, and producer whose work spans media, music, and film. In 2009, he co-founded Eternity, a national newspaper, and has since spearheaded an array of innovative projects. Among these is It Is Well with My Soul, which now encompasses an official website, a novella, and a planned feature film adaptation. David is also producing Messiah Film, a sweeping outdoor reimagining of Handel’s Messiah performed by choirs across the globe.
David’s primary focus for the coming years is overseeing a series of creative expressions inspired by the story of It Is Well with My Soul. He has already published a novella retelling the events, as well as a musical songbook that will form the foundation of a stage musical set to premiere at the Adelaide Fringe — the world’s second largest fringe festival — in 2026.
A feature film adaptation is also in development, with the script nearing completion and funding and production partners being sought. Alongside the film, David plans to publish both a companion book based on the screenplay and a new work told from the perspective of Horatio Spafford’s wife, Anna — a voice often overlooked in the traditional retelling of the hymn’s origin.
For updates on these projects, check back to this site regularly. For questions or enquiries, email us studio -at- itiswellwithmysoul.com