Tag Archives: hymns

What a Friend We Have in Jesus; The Story behind the Hymn

I have written several “story-behind-the-hymn” posts over the years and somehow missed this one! Surely, What a Friend We Have in Jesus is a song we have all related to at some point in our lives. If we grew up around church or gospel music, we can probably at least sing the chorus.


Joseph Scriven was born in Ireland in 1819. He was educated and received a degree from Trinity College in Dublin and became a teacher. With plans to settle down and soon to marry, life was good for Joseph. Unfortunately, the day before his wedding, his future wife drowned. 

The grief was more than he could bear, so Joseph moved to Canada to start over. There, he met and fell in love again, with Eliza Rice, and planned to be married, again. It is unthinkable that you could lose so much in one young lifetime but weeks before they were to be wed, Eliza became sick and died from her illness. Joseph was only 25.

From this heartache, and through faith in his God, a mission was born. Joseph took a vow of poverty and began to help the poor and the handicapped in any way he could. For ten years he made himself available to come alongside those that were in need and he found comfort and purpose in serving.

Then, unbelievably, heartache would strike again! His mother, still in Ireland and Scriven in Canada, became very ill and he did not have the funds to help her or to go and be with her. He penned the words to this poem for her and it has since comforted, encouraged and uplifted generations!

What a friend we have in Jesus

All our sins and griefs to bear

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer

Oh what peace we often forfeit!

Oh, 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 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

Today, we find America in a crisis like none we have ever seen. Yet, people are coming together around the world to remind each other and to reach out to those who have not heard that Jesus is still near. Prayer still works! He has not forsaken us; He never will. 

Let us, as The Church, not let this opportunity be wasted! There is so much hope in our God, so much hope for our eternal future and so much hope right this very minute that we will see Jesus intervene on our behalf and answer unbelievable prayers. We can see thousands upon thousands come to know the Peace Speaker by Name, Jesus, if we talk positive, think positive and pray like we have never prayed before. 

Are we cumbered with a load of care? Sure, we are uncertain of what tomorrow will bring but Precious Savior, still our refuge!! We take it to Him in prayer, bind together to encourage and pray for one another and continue our wonderful online opportunities of worship, which have been such a blessing to so many. 

Oh, what peace we often forfeit, what needless pain we bear when we neglect to turn over our fears and worries to the One who holds our future in His hands. But when we take it to Him in prayer, He will meet us in our despair and we will find solace, or comfort in His presence. 

God sent YOU, not the disciples, not the Apostle Paul or even John the Baptist to share this Good News in these difficult days. This tells me that if we have His Spirit,  we have all we need to be salt and light right now and bring hope to those around us.

Be encouraged!

You can read previous posts of hymns and their origins here!

Jesus, Lover of my Soul, Everywhere He Leads Me I will Follow On, Stand Up for Jesus, America the Beautiful, Pray for Peace, People Everywhere, O Little Town of Bethlehem, O Holy Night,


When Thanksgiving is Hard but God is Good

When Thanksgiving is Hard, but God is Good. For some, this Thursday, November 23, is going to be difficult. Wondering how they are going to make it through the day with a smile on their face. Others will be fighting back tears because of empty chairs at the table. Their heart hurts, and the reasons vary but the heartache is so real. If this is you? I am praying God will give you strength that only comes from Him and that spirit-filled peace that passes our understanding. Be encouraged by the two saints of God in the following post and be blessed knowing God sees you, loves you and is with you especially when it is hard.

Francis Jane Crosby was the author of over 9,000 hymns. Do you know she wrote so many that she began using pen names so that the hymnals would not be filled with her name alone?

Beautiful hymns such as:

Blessed Assurance
Safe in the Arms of Jesus
All the Way My Savior Leads Me
Rescue the Perishing
Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross

Born in New York, Fanny was ill almost from the beginning. One day, their family’s regular doctor was out of town and another man, who claimed to be a doctor, prescribed hot mustard compresses to her eyes. She got over the sickness but the treatment left her blind.

Blindness didn’t deter her from her love of life and her love for the Word of God; she memorized scripture every day; five chapters a week.

Fanny loved poetry and wrote her first verse at the age of eight:

Fanny’s attitude kind of reminds me of someone else we know; the Apostle Paul was one acquainted with grief. He had lived through many, many persecutions. Most of them were physical.

“Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 ESV.

Wow. And we think WE are persecuted for the name of Jesus!

Drifting at sea
Stoned
Shipwrecked
Beaten
Dangerous rivers
Robbers
His own people
The Gentiles
The City
The Wilderness
False Brothers
Sleepless Nights
Hunger and Thirst
Cold and Exposure

And last, but definitely not least, he mentions the daily stress and anxiety brought on by the churches! 

Paul was under a tremendous amount of pressure. Remember, he was also blinded once on the road to Damascus. The Lord put him in that state for three whole days and his life was forever changed. Even though he regained his sight, he then saw things completely differently, through the Lord’s eyes instead of his own.

But even in the midst of the tremendous persecution, Paul found joy.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:12 NLT.

Contentment.

Paul knew that no matter what his circumstances were he could be content. Why?

Verse 13 tells us the answer:

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Maybe you are feeling as if you do not have much for which to be thankful. Maybe life is not treating you kindly, or fairly, and everything seems to be upside down, like a little bug on the ground who can’t get turned back over on his feet.

God has not forsaken you. We understand that aren’t promised a life full of sunshine and blue skies, but we are promised He will go with us. Sometimes your season of need may last much, much longer than you had anticipated or had hoped for. But like Paul, and Fanny Crosby, we can always find something to be thankful for.

Most importantly, do you know Jesus? I mean truly know Him? If so, you have something wonderful to be thankful for. To be in relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords means we have an awesome responsibility to share this wonderful Truth with others and let our contentment be a great testimony of His keeping power.

Fanny didn’t let her inabilities or her circumstances dictate her feelings. She didn’t even pray for her sight to be restored. “Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I was born blind?” said the poet. “Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.”

Neither did the Apostle Paul. In everything, even in the difficulties, he found a reason to be thankful. Paul didn’t make it a practice to pray for things…he prayed that he might KNOW Him.

Grieving? Yes, it is good to grieve; it is necessary. But, in that grief, allow God to help you, strengthen you, speak peace into your heart and help you to find something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Just as the season moves on into another, this too will get easier and He will give you grace for each day as you draw closer to Him through your trial.

Enjoy this beautiful rendition of one of Fanny Crosby’s hymns by Chris Tomlin! Let it be your praise today…

 

My only safe haven

It’s #FiveMinuteFriday and today’s word prompt is Haven. If you want to read other posts on the same subject you can go to Kate’s place here!

I immediately thought of the words to the old hymn, Haven of Rest and will now have it in my head for days. The author, Henry Gilmour, was an immigrant from Ireland. He had set sail at the age of 16 to learn navigation but when they arrived in Philadelphia, Henry decided to stay in America and seek his fortune. He earned his living as a house painter and serving in the Civil War, was captured and spent time in a confederate prison. After the war, he trained as a dentist, an occupation he would have for many years.

Henry also knew the Savior, which is obvious by his hymns. One of my favorite verses is the very first:

My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea,
So burdened with sin and distressed,
Till I heard a sweet voice, saying, “Make Me your choice”;
And I entered the “Haven of Rest”!

Is it really that simple? Will our burdens be lifted and our life free of pain, worry and stress if we make Jesus our choice?

Yes.

And no.

True, our troubles may not vanish but the sweet peace that comes with knowing Jesus can carry us through any situation. He is our safe haven!

So what is a haven? It is simply a refuge, or place of safety or an inlet providing shelter for ships or boats; a harbor or small port. We witnessed first hand several beautiful safe havens when we were on the Mediterranean island of Malta last year.

haven

You can’t see the inlet itself here but picture a violent storm and this small boat tossed about on the waves of the sea. Certain that they will be lost in the storm, all of a sudden they see a shelter, a place of refuge, a literal safe haven.

“He made the storm be still,  and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.” Psalm 107:29, 30 ESV.

Carved out of the rock, a perfect place for shelter, a safe haven away from the storm! That is the key!

He shows His hand and His mighty power by protecting us, sheltering us or covering us with His strength to do the unimaginable. Philippians 4:13.

Are you searching for peace and safety? Do you need a place of refuge and someone to lift the heavy load you are carrying? There is such a place just for you when you make that choice. Jesus is calling! You were not meant to bear your burdens alone, let Him carry them for you and bring you peace today. Anchor your soul in the Haven of Rest!

I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest,
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep o’er wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.

If you have never heard this comforting hymn, take a listen: