“In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore
In the sweet by and by
Oh, we shall meet on that beautiful shore”
So goes the lyrics of the beautiful song by Ben Webster. There has never been a time where we have felt so bereft as a generation. COVID 19 has vandalised our hearts and pierced us with so much pain. Never before have we experienced so much loss at once. Relatives, friends, colleagues and neighbours all succumbing to this deadly evil.
In our bereavement, we take solace in the words of the above melody that by and by, on that beautiful shore, we shall see our beloveds again. Oh what a joyful occasion it will be on that happy triumphant morning when we all shall rise. In that shining glory, we will meet to part no more. There will be no more tears, trials, griefs and sorrows. Our loved ones will be raised indestructible with brand new bodies, clothed with immortality and raised to die no more. We shall dwell in bliss forever on that shore.
In the meanwhile, we take comfort in knowing that our beloveds are in a better place. They have gone out of the restless and care worn world into a better world. They no longer feel any pain. They neither thirst nor hunger. They have been freed from the throngs of pain and suffering, from sickness and weariness. They no longer need surgeries, medicine or wheelchairs. They no longer have to worry about the labour of the day-time;
Horatio Spafford was a successful lawyer and real estate investor in Chicago. He and his wife, Anna, had one son and four daughters. They lost their four-year-old son to scarlet fever and a few months later the great Chicago fire wiped out the majority of their property holdings. Three years down the line, tragedy struck again. The Spaffords had planned to visit Europe as a family, but business kept Horatio behind. On the voyage, the ship Anna and their four daughters were traveling on collided with another vessel and sank rapidly. Only Anna survived; she sent a brief telegram to Horatio bearing the words “Saved alone.”
On his own voyage to meet Anna as his ship neared the place where his daughters had drowned, he was inspired to write the lyrics for hymn “It is Well with My Soul.”
No doubt Spafford was shattered by the loss of his daughters, but his heart turned to the faithfulness of God in the midst of loss. The hymn does not diminish or gloss over pain and tragedy but rather proclaims that God is present in them and greater than them
“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”
May we be comforted.
Sbu Ngubane
