What a Friend We Have in Jesus

Text

Scriven’s text has remained largely unchanged since it was first published in 1857. The verses build on one another, carrying the same theme throughout: first raising the questions we have about our pain and sorrow, and then answering those questions with assurance of God’s power and love. As the editors in the Psalter Hymnal Handbook write, the text “is not great poetry,” but it has “spiritual appeal and an effective repeated phrase, ‘take it to the Lord in prayer.’” Albert Bailey goes so far as to describe the repetition as “doggerel,” but adds that this provides a good teaching tool (The Gospel in Hymns, 495).

Tune

The tune CONVERSE, written by Charles C. Converse, in 1868, is almost universally paired with Scriven’s text. It is a tune that speaks of assurance and hope, and with its uplifting melody, there is a temptation to play it too quickly. The text, though, demands adequate consideration as you sing, and though the tune is hopeful, the weight of the words and the sorrow that is implied should give cause to slow the tempo and play with an expressive ear. A good example of this is found in an arrangement by Chelsea Moon and the Franz Brothers.

A good alternative to CONVERSE is the tune BEACH SPRING, attributed to B. H. White, which Emily Brink paired with Scriven’s text in the Psalter Hymnal. This is a far more melancholy tune that brings out the darker side of the text. It would be especially fitting to use this tune when singing this hymn in a time of great sorrow for your congregation; the assurance is needed, but in the context of very real pain. To hear a version of the hymn using this tune, check out this rendition done for a prayer service at Calvin College, on the college’s website under Faith & Worship/LOFT/Archives/LOFT 2010-11/Feb. 6, starting at around 18:00.

When/Why/How

This is a hymn that acknowledges the pain we experience in life, and then assures us of the comfort we have in Christ. It would be fitting during most services as a hymn of response after the Prayers of the People, or after a time of confession. It’s especially appropriate during a service themed around God’s hand of mercy in times of suffering, or when we need a reminder of our call to pray without ceasing, even when life gets rough. Try pairing this song with the modern hymn, “Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer,” or a more subdued, slower version of the well-loved contemporary song, “Blessed Be Your Name.”

Suggested music:

• Fedak, Alfred. What a Friend We Have In Jesus - for Choir, using the tune SCARLET RIBBONS, a traditional English melody
• Hayes, Mark. What a Friend - for Choir
• Raney, Joel. What a Friend We Have In Jesus - for Children's Choir and Adult Choir
• Wagner, Douglas. What a Friend We Have in Jesus - for Handbells
• Funderburk, Duane. Beach Spring - for Piano and Woodwind
• Watanabe, Kiyo. Beach Spirig - for Handbells

Laura de Jong
Hymnary.org

The life of Joseph M. Scriven, the author of this text, was hard and filled with tragedy. At a young age he had to give up his military ambitions due to poor health. Things were looking up as he prepared to be married, but on the eve before his wedding, his fiancée died tragically in a drowning accident. Scriven moved to Rice Lake, Ontario, and was soon to be wed again. His second fiancée, however, also died suddenly from an illness shortly before the wedding. With no job in a hard economy, Scriven had to live with friends and acquaintances. His volunteer work with the impoverished and sickly as he tried to live as closely to the Sermon on the Mount as possible was frowned upon by those friends, however, and they quickly disassociated themselves from him. Penniless and alone, Scriven was later found drowned in Rice Lake.

It’s a tragic story and, like all tragedies, hard to make sense of. And yet, God still works in and through our stories and losses to fulfill His purposes. Shortly after Scriven moved to Ontario, it’s said he wrote the text “What a Friend” to send back to his mother in Ireland to comfort her in a time of sorrow. After its publication, a neighbor asked if Scriven really did write it, and he replied, “The Lord and I did it between us” (Lutheran Hymnal Handbook). As one of the best-known hymns of comfort, it is certain that the Lord used Scriven to bless many in their own times of sorrow.