SONGS OF PRAISE – STORY BEHIND THE SONG “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” – by Charles Schokman
Some of our best-loved hymns were written in times of great sadness. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” is one such song.
Despite the pain, many hymn writers were able to find comfort in the arms of Jesus and point others to this source of unshakable joy with their music.
One of the most helpful hymns in popular use is Joseph Scriven’s hymn on the friendship of Jesus, the comforter and burden-bearer. Scriven (1820-1886) was a native of Dublin, Ireland, born in 1820. He graduated from Trinity College in his native city. At the age of twenty-five he emigrated to Canada, and lived there until his death at Port Hope on Lake Ontario, October 10, 1886.
When a young man, he was engaged to be married to a lady whom he had known and loved for a long time. All preparations had been made for the wedding ceremony and the date had been fixed. But shortly before the wedding day arrived his promised bride was accidentally drowned, and he was plunged into the deepest sorrow.
The grief was more than he could bear, so Joseph moved to Canada to start over. There, he met and fell in love again, with Eliza Rice, and planned to be married, again. It is unthinkable that you could lose so much in one one lifetime but weeks before they were to be wed, Eliza became sick and died from her illness. Joseph was only 25
From this heartache, and through faith in his God, a mission was born. Joseph took a vow of poverty and began to help the poor and the handicapped in any way he could. For ten years he made himself available come alongside those who were in need and he found comfort and purpose in serving.
Then, unbelievably, heartache would strike again! His mother, still in Ireland and Scriven in Canada became very ill and he did not have the funds to help her or to go to be with her. He penned the words to this poem for her and it has since comforted, encouraged and uplifted generations!
What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!
How it came to be first published is not known, as he had not intended it for general use.
Indeed, for some time after it was printed its authorship was unknown, being sometimes incorrectly attributed to Dr. Horatius Bonar. After Scriven’s death, however, he became recognized as the author of the hymn that has blessed so many thousands of believers.
Let us join in singing of this hymn being assured that Prayer still works! He has not forsaken us; He never will.
