What A Friend We Have In Jesus
Joseph Scriven (1819-1886)

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 Saviour, 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.

Joseph Scriven wrote these words in 1855 for his mother after she had suffered some great upset in her life. It is not known exactly what left her heartbroken but the words were, no doubt, a great comfort to her in her hour of need. Later on, he suffered a great personal tragedy in his own life. Shortly before his marriage to a woman he loved dearly, she drowned. He never recovered, even though he tried to start a new life in Canada. The words of the hymn he wrote to comfort his mother were, no doubt, an equal comfort to him at this time of loss.

There have been millions of broken hearts throughout the world during the past two years of the Covid19 pandemic – maybe yours is one of them. Our prayer is that you too will find comfort in reading Joseph Scriven’s words, which speak to us of ‘the God of all comfort’, 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 3.