“What a Friend We Have in Jesus”

Knowing a little of someone’s life story adds a depth of meaning to and appreciation of what they write. Such is true of the story of the hymn writer of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

Knowing a little of someone’s life story adds a depth of meaning to and appreciation of what they write. Such is true of the story of the hymn writer of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

Irishman Joseph Scriven, born in 1819 and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland experienced great loss early in his adulthood when his fiancée drowned the night before their wedding. Turning to the principles of the Plymouth Brethren, an Anglo- Irish evangelical group whose founders were known for giving away their considerable fortunes to tenants and the needy, Joseph donated his worldly possessions to the poor in Ireland before immigrating to Canada.

Afterward at his teaching post in Port Hope, Canada, he became engaged again and just before the wedding his bride became ill with pneumonia and died. In 1855 his mother became ill in Ireland and Joseph penned this poem to encourage and comfort her.

I can’t imagine he depth of his loss and pain. His whole life had been devoted to caring for the sick and needy. Out of one man’s own personal, deep loss, the church is given this simple hymn. Charles Converse put the words to music in 1868. [A random fact, showing its ’popularity – every year 23 million Japanese sing this old hymn, about 20% of the population.]

Knowing the pain behind these words puts a whole new meaning to this hymn for me.

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry, ev’rything to God in Prayer.
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry, ev’rything to God in Prayer.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised, Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing, all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded, there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship, will be our sweet portion there.

A beautiful offering for others is borne out of deep pain and loss. Isn’t this what Jesus was talking about with the grain falling into the ground and dying in John 12:24?