What a Friend We Have in Jesus

Sep 25, 2023

Proverbs 18:24 - “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

Everybody needs a friend and the greatest friend to have is our Precious and gracious Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. This incredible truth is expressed in this much-loved song, “What a friend we have in Jesus.”

This endearing hymn was written and composed by Joseph Scriven, who was born in England and later emigrated to Canada in 1845 and died at the age of 66 in 1886.

This song was a personal testimony of Joseph Scriven, who loved and served the Lord with passion. His care and concern for the needy and the elderly was inspiring. It was the result of the difficulties he faced throughout his life.

He composed this song as a tribute to his aging mother when he was suffering from illness; afraid to leave her without anyone to watch and provide for her. He never intended to share this song with anyone. Until a neighbor who was with him during his serious illness found it written on a piece of paper and was touched by its message. When he asked who composed the song, Scriven answered, “My Lord and I did it together.

Joseph loved the Lord but his life was characterized by difficulties and tragedies. He was led to the Savior when he lost his bride-to-be to drowning on the eve of their marriage. It devastated him but what a great comfort that in the midst of grief, the Lord saved him.

Shortly after he moved to Canada, he was again engaged to Eliza Roche. But tragedy struck again and Eliza succumbed to illness before their marriage. Because of this, he began to spend helping the sick, handicap, and the elderly.

“What a Friend” was composed to comfort his mother who was still in Ireland. Before this song was discovered, Scriven was experiencing poor health, financial struggles, and family struggles. He suffered severe depression during the last years of his life. It was said that nobody knew if his death was accidental or suicide. It is because a friend reported,

“ We left him about midnight. I withdrew to an adjoining room, not to sleep, but to watch and wait. You may imagine my surprise and dismay when on visiting the room I found it empty. All searches failed to find a trace of the missing man, until a little after noon the body was discovered in the water nearby, lifeless and cold in death."

We may not know what really happened in the last hours of his life, but the fact remains that the song he left behind continues to comfort and encourage many lives to look unto the Lord - that when human friendship fails, as a friend, Jesus will never fail.

“What a Friend we have in Jesus”

1. 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!

2. Have we had trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;