August 29, 2016 (Monday)
I am amazed at the frequency of stories of tragedy that are behind many of the hymns presented in these blogs. I included, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” in the blog of January 10, 2016. Click here to review that blog and the song.
D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey introduced this great hymn in their evangelistic meetings. Most people assumed that it must have been written by an American since it was introduced by Americans and included in their regular programs. It was composed, however, by a man from Ireland who had moved to Canada.
The writer of the words was Joseph M. Scriven, 1820-1886. The music was composed by
Charles C. Converse, 1832-1918. The following paragraphs tell the story of this man’s life and the writing of the song. Several variations of this story can be found on the web.
Scriven was the happiest man in Ireland because he was about to marry the girl of his dreams. On the day before the wedding, she was thrown from her carriage by a startled 
horse into a rocky stream where she struck her head, fell unconscious and drowned. We can only imagine his grief over the loss. He moved to Canada. After time had passed, he and a beautiful 23-year-old girl planned to marry but an illness took her life. He took a vow of poverty, got rid of all his possessions and devoted all his time to helping those unable to help themselves. He literally lived for others.
He received word that his mother was near death but he had no earthly possessions or money that would make a trip to Ireland possible. He could not go to her, but he wrote a poem for her. You guessed it. The poem was “What a friend we have in Jesus.”
Like several of the hymns we have presented in this blog, this one will always remind me of the tragedies experienced by the man who wrote it, and the wonderful way his grief brought him ever closer to the Lord he viewed as “Friend.” His feelings, shared with his dying mother, serve to remind us, “Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to Him in prayer.”
What a friend we have in Jesus!