“What A Friend We Have In Jesus”

  “Songs My Father Sang”

What A Friend We Have In Jesus

“What A Friend We Have In Jesus” has been a staple in Christian churches for many decades. It is a song beloved by many people. My father was no exception. I remember singing this while we were growing up.

Somewhere dad came up with a new arrangement of this hymn. He “married” the text of “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” with the tune of “Let The Lower Lights Be Burning” (Music written by Philip P. Bliss). In the last years of his life we would often break into this song during a family gathering. And, we would sing it a cappella, that is, without instrumental accompaniment. The “new tune” made the song alive and fresh. I always looked forward to the family singing this together at Christmas time. When dad passed away we had the whole family, cousins and all, sing this song during dad’s “Celebration of Life” service.

Text: Joseph M. Scriven (1820-1886)
Music: Charles C. Converse (1832-1918)

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
 Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;  
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
Thou wilt find a solace there.

The Story behind the song and the song writer:

Originally this poem, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" was never intended for publication. Upon learning of his mother's serious illness and not being able to be with her Dublin, Joseph Scriven wrote a letter of comfort enclosing the words of this text. “Sometime later when he himself was ill, a friend who came to see him chanced to see the poem scribbled on a piece of paper near his bed. The friend read it with interest and asked if he had written the words. With typical modesty, Scriven replied, "The Lord and I did it between us." In 1869 a small collection of his poems was published. Simply, it was entitled Hymns and Other Verses.

Joseph Scriven was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1819, and came from a prosperous family. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin. At the age of twenty-five he decided to leave his native country and migrated to Canada. His reasons for leaving seemed influenced by his religious beliefs and personal tragedy: the religious effect of the Plymouth Brethren upon his life that estranged him from his family, and the accidental drowning of his fiancée the night before their scheduled wedding. He fell in love again but tragedy came the second time when his bride to be contracted tuberculosis and died before their wedding could take place.

From that time Scriven developed a totally different life pattern. He took the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus literally. He gave freely of his limited possessions, even sharing the clothing from his own body, if necessary, and never once refused to help anyone in need. Because of this manner of life, Scriven was respected, at the same time, he was considered to be eccentric by those who knew him.

Scriven also died by accidental drowning. He became critically ill in October 1896. Delirious, he rose from his bed, went outdoors where he fell into a small creek. The citizens of Port Hope, Ontario, erected a monument on the Port Hope-Peterborough Highway, as a tribute to this simple and humble man.”
(http://christianmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_a_friend_we_have_in_jesus#ixzz0rdWd8e00)

This song has found its way into most hymnals because of the comfort and encouragement it gives. The song focuses particularly Jesus as our Friend.

This hymn is not a prayer, but an encouragement to pray. Why? Because we are weak and needy, even the strongest among us. Everyone has needs. Scriven reminds us that “Jesus knows our every weakness.” Jesus wants you to “Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Psalm 55:22)

Some related scriptures:

Proverbs 18:14 “A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?”

John 15:13-16 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”