One of the deepest truths every believer can cling to is this: it is well with my soul. Nothing and no one can change that. We are held in the grip of a loving Father who never lets go. Because of that, we have no reason to fear. Nothing in this world should be able to shake our confidence in God and His work in our lives. No one should be able to keep us from singing “it is well,” even in our darkest moments.
And yet.
You and I both know that, if we’re speaking in all honesty, there are times we cannot say that and mean it. Sometimes it’s because we get so caught up in our circumstances that we lose sight of the truths meant to anchor us. Sometimes even when we remember those truths, it takes a while for the comfort they contain to sink in at soul level.
In the end, all will be well.
But sometimes, here and now, it doesn’t feel that way.
So what can we do during the in-between?
make it well
I still remember when I first heard this song. It was winter 2025. I don’t remember what all was happening in my life at the time or what I was hoping to find when I clicked on the link and listened to it for the first time, but I remember that song. The gentle piano intro, the heartfelt prayer in the verses, the hopeful faith in the chorus—all of it came together and spoke to me.
The message of “Make It Well” struck a chord from the moment I heard it. While the lyrics were not exactly something I could relate to right then, somehow I sensed that this song was special and would come to hold deeper meaning for me later on. Not long afterward, I shared it with a couple of people I knew who were going through trying times, and over the next few months I mentioned it to several friends.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to hear MercyMe sing this song in concert. That, too, was a special moment. Their lead singer, Bart Millard, introduced the song by talking about the classic hymn “It Is Well with My Soul.” Like many of us, he grew up singing it in church, but often he didn’t comprehend the depths of what it meant. As he got older and experienced more of the trials of life, he began to think that if he had written that hymn, he would have said “make it well” instead of “it is well,” because sometimes that would be the more honest thing to sing.
All of us go through times when we can’t sing “it is well.” But whatever we’re going through, we can always ask the Lord to make it well.
For in time, He will. As Psalm 116:7-9 (ESV) reminds us, “Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”
Over these past months, that truth has proven real to me over and over again. It hasn’t been an easy summer. It’s been good, yes, but also hard. There have been some wonderful blessings that swept me to the top of the waves, cresting the highs under the bright glow of the sun. There have also been hard things that dragged me under the waves, fighting to stay afloat in the midst of the darkness and the storm.
Through it all, the words of that song, once distant, have come to life.
I’ve felt the profound ache of loneliness, that craving to find a place to belong. I’ve sat in my room by myself during the darkest parts of the night and remembered that no matter how alone and unseen I might feel, I’m not. Jesus is with me. He knows. He sees, even when it feels like others don’t.
I’ve felt the strain of tension when things I thought were steady gave way, and I was set adrift to flounder in a stormy sea. The sense of being untethered, with nothing that I can set my sails by, has clouded my view and slowed my voyage. But then I’ve reminded myself that there is one voice I can always trust, and He will guide me by His gentle whisper and steer me back on track when I’ve lost my way.
I’ve fought back the temptation to fall into cynicism, to let myself get jaded and lock up the softer parts of my heart. After all the hurt and disappointment, much of the time it seems easier to board up my vessel and encase my shell in steel, choosing the glint of simmering anger as a shield to protect myself from getting more deeply wounded. Yet I can’t close myself off entirely. I still believe there is love to be found in the hearts of others, and there are those in my life who have kept that hope alive by blowing fresh breezes into my sails and sending me toward brighter horizons.
No, I haven’t reached harbor yet. I’m still in the in-between. Some days, I can’t bring myself to sing “it is well.” But every day, I can trust and pray for my God to make it well.
And whatever you’re going through today, so can you.
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