What a Friend We Have in Jesus

There is something in the hymn written by Joseph Scriven and composed by Charles C. Converse that brings solace and comfort to countless God's people since first written in 1855.

The lyrics of this hymn are so relevant to the basic spiritual needs that many missionaries say it is one of the first sacred music taught to new converts. The blended simplicity of the text and music has made this song close to a believer's heart.

The Hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"

Originally a poem, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" was never intended by the hymn writer, Joseph Scriven, for publication. Upon learning of his mother's serious illness and was unable to be with her in faraway Dublin, he wrote a letter of comfort enclosing the words of this text. Some time later when he himself was ill, a friend who came to see him chanced to see the poem scribbled on scratch people 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.

Hymn writer Joseph Scriven (1819-1886)

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.

Composer Charles C. Converse (1832-1918)

The composer of the music, Charles C. Converse, was a successful and well-educated Christian whose talents ranged from law to professional music. Using the pen name Karl Reden, he wrote numerous scholarly articles on varied subjects. Converse was an excellent musician and composer with many of his works performed by the leading American orchestras and choirs of his day, but he is best remembered for this simple music very well suited to Scriven's text.

The gospel musical director and composer Ira D. Sankey discovered this hymn in 1875, in time to include it in his well-known collection, Sankey's Gospel Hymns Number One. Later Sankey wrote, "The last hymn which went into the book became one of the first in favor."

First Stanza of " What a Friend We Have in Jesus"

"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!"

Lyrics and Music

Cyber Hymnal

Source:

101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, Michigan, 1982

Then Sings My Soul by Robert J.Morgan, Thomas Nelson, Tennessee, 2003

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

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