In a few words: Powerful…. Comforting…. Warm and Up Lifting
The message: Come to Jesus, and find rest, comfort, and friendship in Him.
The central theme of the song: Jesus is a friend who never leaves us, no matter what. No matter what.
Did you hear it in these television and films? If you’re not a church goer maybe you heard the song on The Waltons or Driving Miss Daisy, and Trollhunter.
But….. What a Friend we Have in Jesus, song or hymn, became widely known in 1875. 1875! This is when electricity, not widely used, indoor plumbing, rare, the Brooklyn bridge is being built and the groundwork for the invention of the telephone is just underway.
A crowd favorite, but who was the author? It was such a big question or interest about who the author was, that a letter to the New York Observer, published in March, 1893, stated that it was written by Joseph Scriven. Other authors had ended up with the credit that they, instead, were the writers but the question was finally answered almost 20 years after the poem was written,
It was written as a poem in 1855 by Joseph M. Scriven. Scriven wrote it as a poem for his sick mother and it was titled “Pray Without Ceasing. The poem was found after his death among his papers. Joseph Scriven, is and was, without a doubt, the author of this matchless hymn. Scriven composed this hymn when residing at the house of his friend Mr. Sackville, near Rice Lake, Ont. He had made two copies, one of which he sent to his ailing, sick mother, in Dublin, and gave the other to MRS. Sackville.
The words in his poem, are about the comfort, support, and constant presence of Jesus during hard times and sad times, bad times. The writer had deep emotional pain lots of personal grief and was looking to find comfort in faith. Each verse mentions common human experiences, weakness, loneliness, sadness—and then he writes a line that answers them with the assurance that Jesus is faithful, compassionate, and ever-present with us.
Each verse starts with a phrase of declaration and then a reflective response.
Declaration line, “Have we trials and temptations?“
Reflective response, “never be discouraged”
Declaration line, “Are we weak and heavy laden?” Heavy laden is like old tymey speak.
Reflective response, “Jesus is our refuge.”
The next line in the poem after the declaration and the response is what we are suppose to do “ Take it to the Lord in prayer” to bring every care, every fear, and every struggle to God.
The poem is paired with music. An American lawyer and accomplished musician Charles Converse was working in Erie Pennsylvania and he writes a song while there, and he called it “Erie” and initially published it in his hymn book The Choir. He did not pair his song with Scriven’s poem ‘Pray without ceasing“ until the 1870 publication, Silver Wings, under it’s new name What a Friend We Have in Jesus.
He also published the song under one of his new pseudonym names, Karl Reden. A pseudonym is a false or fake name usually taken on by authors. Converse was a practicing attorney in Erie, Pennsylvania, and he wished to keep his legal reputation apart from his musical reputation. He chose the name Reden, because his name “Converse” means “to speak,” to have a conversation. In German “reden” is the German verb for “to converse/ to speak.”
A prominent gospel singer in 1875 Ira Sankey discovered the hymn and included it in his collection Gospel Hymns and Sacred Songs(later known as Gospel Hymns No. 1), which totally helped popularize the hymn across North America
Reflections from the Bible in this song: Matthew 11:28 is central to the songs message. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This is the heart of the song—Jesus as a compassionate, faithful friend.
Phillippians 4:6–7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds.
Psalm 23, prayer restores the soul and brings rest, even in difficult times.
What we know. God’s peace is supernatural, unshakeable, and deeper than human understanding. It guards your heart and mind, replacing anxiety with calm and fear with faith.
So I need some of that how do I get that? Right? Prayer deepens your connection to Jesus, and it helps you release worry. When you pray—especially with thanksgiving … always with thanksgiving. Meaning telling him “thank you” for the blessings in your life. Blessings are favors or benefits given as a gift to you from God. We need to thank him for those.
There are so many great recordings of this song. Gospel and traditional singers like Aretha, Mahalia, Ella the Jordanaires… all the great one name artists.
Country stars recorded it. Pat Boone, Merle Haggard, Glen Campbell, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Ronnie Milsap, and Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Vintage, rock, pop and jazz singers, like Elvis, Bing, Frank …another group of the great, one -amers, who recorded it.
It’s Easy to Sing and play. If there are any piano players or guitar players this hymn is a favorite due to it’s an easy key (just one flat) and it has a Basic chord progression: Commonly uses I, IV, V chords.
It’s a song or hymn, often chosen for: Holy Week and Good Friday services, funerals and memorial services, times of personal or national crisis, prayer meetings and services focused on confession or intercession. Sing it everyday during ordinary time, morning devotions and personal prayer. A song often chosen by criminals who were on or facing the gallows.
Check out the words or lyrics below. Better yet check out one of YOUR favorite singers who recorded this 150 year old song What a Friend We Have in Jesus and start singing it today.
