What A Friend We Have In Jesus

7/5/2024

Discover the touching #history behind the beloved #hymn

As a lover of music, I have always been fascinated by hymn histories. Hymns and songs of worship have the ability to distill the deep and weighty truths of Scripture down to an essence that we can carry with us each and every day of our lives. Knowing the stories behind those hymns, and the personal experiences that gave birth to the songs has always given me greater appreciation, encouragement, and desire to follow after the truths embedded in the music.

When Joseph Scriven wrote what would become “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” it came from a life that had known great sorrow and disappointment. As a very young man in Ireland in the early 1800s, he fell in love and was engaged to marry. Sadly, his beloved drowned in a river the day before they were to wed, a tragedy Joseph not only witnessed, but was also powerless to do anything to stop.

Grief-stricken, Joseph immigrated to Canada, where he eventually met a young lady named Eliza. The two fell in love and planned to marry. However, just weeks before the wedding, Eliza was taken ill with pneumonia and died.

At just 25 years of age, Joseph had experienced unimaginable heartbreak, but instead of growing bitter, he dedicated his life to comforting others and easing their suffering. He lived a very minimalistic life and instead used all of his resources and talents to serve the poor and disabled.

In time, he received word that his mother back in Ireland was gravely ill, but he did not have the means to leave Canada to go be with her. And so, he wrote to her a poem that would become the lyrics to a song, that not only was a comfort to himself and his ailing mother but has also become an encouragement to generations of believers.

What a friend we have in Jesus!
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit!
Oh, 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!

I can look back and remember specific seasons of life, where I felt I had no friends — no one who truly knew me, no one who could walk with me, no one who could sympathize, no one who could help to carry my burdens, no one to comfort and challenge me. These were very lonely and overwhelming times. However, I now have enough life perspective to see that in my loneliness I was never truly alone. I now can recognize that Jesus was always my most faithful friend, not just walking with me, but also carrying me through these hard seasons.

He drew near me in my suffering and loneliness.
He was faithful and patient, even though I often failed to see His goodness to me.
He strengthened me with His grace and peace, equipping me to help others in the future.

Jesus is certainly not our buddy or equal. He is our Lord, our Savior, and our King, but He is also our Friend and made sure to tell us so. “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

He cares for us, He desires that we find solace and companionship in Him, He wants what is best for us, and He is committed to making us more like Him. If we are ever tempted to doubt any of this, we need only look to the cross to be reminded of how great a Friend He truly is. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Like, Joseph Scriven, we all have encountered loss, loneliness, and sadness. We will all face seasons, some short and others seemingly endless, where we perhaps feel alone, forgotten, or left behind. But just like the poem written by Scriven, the Bible assures us that regardless of our feelings or present circumstances, we have a constant Friend who comforts us in our sorrows (Psalm 34:18), never leaves us (Deuteronomy 31:8), walks through the fire with us (Isaiah 43:2), and sings His peace over us (Zephaniah 3:17).

After reading Scriven’s poem, a friend once asked him who wrote it, and his reply was, “The Lord and I did it between us.” No matter the present trials or dark place you may be, never doubt that Jesus is with you and doing something beautiful between the two of you there. Speak with Him, lean on Him, and find rest in Him.

Let us remember, as author Drew Hunter wrote in his book "Made for Friendship," “Jesus chose us as friends, He died for us as friends, He caused us to trust Him as our friend, and He will remain our friend for the endless ages to come. What a friend we have — moment by moment, now and forever — in Jesus.”