Funeral reading

It Is Well With My Soul

Horatio Spafford, 1873

“It Is Well With My Soul” by Horatio Spafford, 1873, is a hymn read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 4 minutes read aloud, usually by everyone together. It is in the public domain, but we do not set the words here — the note below says what to bring instead, and why.

Why the words are not printed here

Public domain. Spafford wrote it after his four daughters drowned — if the family know that, it changes the room; if they do not, think carefully before telling them at the service.

Where it comes from

Horatio Spafford wrote the words after his wife and four daughters sailed ahead of him to England in 1873 on the SS Ville du Havre, which sank after a collision in the Atlantic. Philip Bliss composed the tune, and the hymn was first published in Gospel Hymns No. 2 by Ira Sankey and Bliss in 1876.

What it says

Whether peace comes like a gentle river or sorrows come like heavy sea waves, the singer has learned to say: it is well with my soul. The verses face suffering and doubt directly, hold on to the faith that Christ has paid for sin, and end looking forward to the day faith becomes sight. The power of the hymn is that it is not written by someone whose life was easy; it is written by someone who chose to trust after losing almost everything.

Its backstory is a shipwreck. Handle that knowledge carefully. Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: peace after catastrophe · a sudden loss · a drowning · faith held under pressure.

Who it suits

A sudden or tragic death, a drowning or accident, or the funeral of someone whose faith held under terrible pressure. It suits Protestant and evangelical families who know it well, and families who want to say that they trust even though they do not understand. It is widely sung and many will know the chorus.

Where it goes in the ceremony

After the eulogy, or as the last hymn before the committal. A soloist or choir may sing the verses with the congregation joining the chorus. The congregation sings, with organ or piano.

Reading it aloud

Sung through by the room, allow about 4 minutes, depending on how many verses the venue’s book carries and how slowly the organist takes it.

Agree the verses. Hymnals differ in how many they print, and the family may have a favorite.
The backstory of the shipwreck is powerful but painful. If the family know it, it may change the room; if they do not, think twice before telling it at the service.
The refrain “It is well, it is well with my soul” is sung in parts in many churches. Let the music lead and do not start talking until it ends.
If the death was a drowning, ask the family directly whether the sea imagery helps or hurts.

Questions about reading it aloud

How long does “It Is Well With My Soul” take to read aloud?

“It Is Well With My Soul” takes about 4 minutes read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.

Who usually reads “It Is Well With My Soul”?

Everyone together, rather than one reader. “It Is Well With My Soul” runs about 4 minutes and needs the words in front of the room — in an order of service, on a screen, or led line by line by the officiant.

Can “It Is Well With My Soul” be printed in a ceremony script?

Not by us. Public domain. Spafford wrote it after his four daughters drowned — if the family know that, it changes the room; if they do not, think carefully before telling them at the service.

A reading is two minutes of the hour.

The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.

Start your service scriptReady in 15 minutes · no sign-up · read your draft first