HYMN: WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

The Witnesses: Joseph Scriven
(1819-1886)

Joseph Medlicott Scriven was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1819. After receiving his degree at Trinity College in Dublin, Joseph fell in love with a girl from Banbridge County, Ireland in 1842. Two years later, they were engaged. On their wedding day, as his bride-to-be crossed a bridge over the River Bann, the horse bucked, throwing her into the river. Joseph watched helplessly from the other side of the river as his beloved drowned. Unable to recover, the Irishman became a wanderer, hoping to forget his sorrow and at age 25, he finally settled in Canada.

Scriven first came to Rice Lake in Ontario, and later to Port Hope, Ontario. There, he worked as a private tutor to several local families. In 1854 he was engaged to Miss Eliza Roche, but Miss Roche caught a chill after swimming in Rice Lake and three years later, she died of severe pneumonia.

On the streets of Port Hope, Ontario, a man walked carrying a saw and a sawhorse. One day, a rich man from across the street noticed him and said to a friend, "He looks like a sober man. I think I'll hire him to cut wood for me." The friend swiftly replied, "That's Joseph Scriven. He wouldn't cut wood for you. He only cuts wood for those who don't have enough to pay." That sums up Joseph Scriven’s philosophy.

This devoted member of the Plymouth Brethren Church took the Sermon on the Mount literally. His faith led him to perform menial tasks for poor widows and the sick. He often worked for no wages and was regarded as a kind man in his community, albeit a bit odd.

In 1885, a friend visited the desperately ill Scriven and he discovered a poem that Scriven had written for his ailing mother in faraway Ireland. Scriven didn't have the money to visit her, but he sent her the poem as an encouragement. He called it, "Pray Without Ceasing."

When the friend inquired about the poem's origin, Scriven reportedly answered, "The Lord and I did it between us." This poem was eventually put to music entitled, "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
Every thing to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
every thing 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 Savior, 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.

This hymn has brought, and continues to bring, comfort and peace to thousands of people around the world.

What can we learn?
1. Prayer is a privilege. We get to converse with the Creator!
2. Pray and never give up.
3. We will all have trials and temptations but prayer unleashes the peace of God.
4. Even after tragedy, God proves Himself strong on our behalf.
5. Take what you have and give generously to the needy.