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.
There are very few
hymns as comforting, as widely sung and as greatly loved as this
one. It has never failed to bring great consolation at the loss of a
dear one. It has never failed to bring faith and hope in times of
spiritual need and loneliness. It is a masterpiece simply because
its lyrics and music are simple and yet strong. It appeals to all
people of all ages throughout the years! It has brought strength and
courage to countless hearts in their times of trouble. It simply
unveils this basic truth that Jesus is our wonderful Friend! This
amazing message rings throughout the hymn.
Joseph Medlicott
Scriven wrote the lyrics of this beloved hymn. He was born in
Ireland, near the village of Banbridge, on September 10, 1819. His
family was wealthy. His father was Captain John Scriven of the Royal
Marines, and also the Church Warden of Seapatrick Parish Church. His
mother was Jane Medlicott, the sister of a Wiltshire Vicar, Rev.
Joseph Medlicott.
Joseph Scriven was
well educated. As a young man, he spent two years at Addiscombe
Military College in Surrey with the intention to join the East India
Company. In 1842, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Trinity College in Dublin.
Joseph fell in love
with a girl in Banbridge. Within two years, they were engaged. They
could have lived happily thereafter. But tragedy struck. On the eve
of their wedding day, his bride-to-be died. While crossing a bridge
over River Bann, she was thrown off from her horse, and was drowned.
This happened in the full view of her lover who was lovingly waiting
for her on the other side of the river. This was just the beginning
of his sorrows.
Joseph then
consecrated his life to serve Christ. He adopted some of the
teachings of the Plymouth Brethren. The Plymouth Brethen movement
was started during the winter of 1827-28 by four Christian men,
namely, John Nelson Darby, Edward Cronin, John Bellett and Francis
Hutchinson. For some time, they had been troubled about the
condition of the professing churches. They agreed, after much prayer
and conference, to come together on the Lord's Day. There and then
they remembered the Lord Jesus in the breaking of bread, as the
early Christians did, counting on the Lord to be with them. Their
first meeting was held in Francis Hutchinson's house in Dublin,
Ireland. As they continued to meet, others in Dublin and elsewhere
were added to their number. Among the many gatherings, one sprang up
at Plymouth, England. The people in the region began to call them
"brethren from Plymouth." This naturally resulted in the designation
"Plymouth Brethren."
Joining this group
resulted in some strains and tensions in Joseph's relationship with
his family. He then migrated to Canada. He first settled at Rice
Lake in Ontario, and later at Port Hope where he taught and tutored
to make a living. He was a private tutor to several of the local
families there. He gave himself completely to his students and the
community.
He joined the local
Plymouth Brethren, and ministered to the needs of their elderly.
Through his own experiences, he became very aware and conscious of
the sufferings of the poor and weak around him. He endeavored to
live out the teachings of Jesus, especially the Sermon on the Mount.
Even though his possessions were limited, he was giving or lending
to anyone who asked him for assistance, comforting and encouraging
those in plight. He even shared the very clothes he was wearing
whenever the need arose. He had never failed to help the people who
came to him. He sawed wood for the stoves of the physically
handicapped and widows who were unable to pay. He also comforted the
poor and the mentally distressed. He became known as a Good
Samaritan throughout the region surrounding Port Hope.
Another tragedy
happened in 1854. Joseph was going to marry Eliza Roche. But Eliza
caught a chill after immersing herself in Rice Lake. She became
seriously ill, and died three years later. Nobody could understand
the degree of depression and despondency that Joseph was undergoing.
This was in the year of 1857 that Joseph wrote the inspirational
words of this famous hymn.
Ten years after he
had left his home, Joseph came to know that his mother had fallen
seriously ill in Ireland. As he was unable to return to his
homeland, he wrote a letter of comfort to his mother. The words of
his newly written poem about prayer was enclosed in that letter,
reminding his mother of a Heavenly Friend Who never fails to listen
to prayers!
In 1869, a small
collection of his poems was published. It was simply entitled "Hymns
and Other Verses." His famous poem was published in a local
newspaper. It was set to music by Charles C. Converse, and gained
international recognition under the renowned title "What A Friend We
Have In Jesus." In 1875, Ira Sankey discovered the hymn just in time
to include it into his famous collection, Sankey's Gospel Hymns
Number One. Sankey later wrote, "The last hymn which went into the
book became one of the first in favor."
The origin of this
hymn was only discovered shortly before Joseph's death. It was
originally entitled "Pray Without Ceasing." The last few years of
Joseph were plagued by sickness, poverty and depression. James
Sackville took care of Joseph during his last days. It was James who
discovered Joseph's copy of the hymn while searching a drawer on his
behalf. When asked how he came to write such a beautiful hymn,
Joseph simply replied, "The Lord and I did it between us."
Joseph Scriven's
death in August 10, 1886 was due to drowning. Until today, nobody
knows for sure if his death was accidental or suicidal. He was
depressed at the time of his death. A friend testified, "We left him
about midnight. I withdrew to an adjoining room, not to sleep, but
to watch and wait. You may imagine my surprise and dismay when on
visiting the room I found it empty. All search failed to find a
trace of the missing man, until a little after noon the body was
discovered in the water nearby, lifeless and cold in death."
For many years, the
grave of Joseph Scriven remained unmarked. But on September 10,
1919, during the centenary of his birth, a pilgrimage of clergymen
visited the grave. They joined hands surrounding it, and sang the
hymn - the very song that had brought so much comfort, uplifting and
consoling hearts and souls whenever the music was sung.
Under the
leadership of Rev. W. D. Lee of the Millbrook Presbyterian Church,
the Joseph Scriven Memorial Committee was formed to erect a monument
to his memory. The words of the hymn were enscribed on a white
granite monument, standing 13 feet high and overlooking the shining
waters of Rice Lake. It was dedicated on May 24, 1920. Six thousand
people gathered, including the Premier of Ontario, E.C. Drury.
In paying tribute
to Scriven, the Premier said: "He did not build a railway or amass a
fortune. But he did more than that; he contributed a thought that
will outlive railroads and fortunes. It will go on enriching the
lives of men, when other things of material nature have crumbled and
perished. On this occasion, tributes were paid by many people who
had known Scriven personally. He lived the life of our Saviour. His
life was a living example of the principle: The Son of God came not
to be ministered unto but to minister."
Below are some of
the testimonies and tributes given to the life of Joseph Scriven:
"He lived a
truly unselfish life, going among the afflicted and comforting
the sorrowing, sharing his little with the poverty-stricken."
"I remember the
times when one of the families lost their cow. They were
dependent on that cow for much of their living. Mr. Scriven
expressed his sympathy, and desire to help out, but regretted
that he had no money, so offered his watch for the family to
sell."
"Through
the years, Scriven became known as the man with bucksaw and axe
who went to homes of widows and aged folk to chop their wood."
"For several
years, he lived in Port Hope in a small cottage isolated in the
woods, which still stands at the corner of Strachen and Thomas
Streets. In his zeal for presenting the gospel, he preached on
street corners in Port Hope and Bewdley and among the farmers."
"As a member of the Brethren who renounce
worldliness, Scriven would not have his picture taken, for to
him it was a form of vanity. However, the Rev George A Osborough
of Belfast located a great-nephew of Joseph, Dr W. H. Scriven,
who possessed a photograph which he believed was an authentic
picture of Joseph."
"On first
writing, the hymn which he titled "Pray without Ceasing" only
verses one and two were included. The third verse was added
following a visit to Ireland. Because he had come back a poor
man with rather shabby clothes, he had the bitter experience of
being snubbed and slighted. This led to the third verse which
begins: "Do thy friends despise, forsake thee," expressing the
pain at his rejection."
Today, on the east
side of Highway 28 just south of Bewdley stands another monument
beside an orchard of evergreens. It was erected with funds collected
by a devoted friend, Rev E. S. Kidd-Byrne. But Joseph was not buried
there. His body was in the cemetery on the Pengelly farm two miles
east of Bailieboro. The Ontario Architectural and Historical Sites
Board in Bailieboro had placed distinctive markers to lead the
visitors to the site of the cemetery.
Back in his
homeland in Ireland, the Banbridge District Council had also put up
a monument at Downshire Place. A stained glass window was dedicated
to Joseph Scriven. The dedication service was carried out by Bishop
Scriven, who was then the Bishop of Europe. He was the great-great
grandnephew of Joseph Scriven. (Joseph had two younger brothers and
one sister: George, John and Catherine Anne Mary. Their dates of
birth were 1821, 1823 and 1825 respectively.)
This man who wrote
about a Friend was a friend to his neighbours around him. As he had
freely received, he freely gave. He was truly a man of no
reputation. He was a rich man's son but became poor for the sake of
the high calling of God. A man found not worthy by worldly standards
but was greatly esteemed in heaven.