What a Friend we Have in Jesus

What a Friend we Have in Jesus

     

Most of us often blame God and stops praying if things do not happen as we wish. But have you ever felt that God is not far away from you and He has prepared something better in our life? “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28) If you can praise the good Lord in the midst of your difficulties, it is the true love.

Let me share with you an anecdote about finding the will of God in our difficulties. Last year, I was attending Salesian vocation camp for 2 weeks in Don Bosco Mannuthy, Thrissur. The camp mainly dealt with a variety of subjects like Vocation, Salesian Congregation and lives of Don Bosco and Dominic Savio. Also there were music classes led by the brothers. One evening we were summoned to the chapel and Bro. Jude began to teach us an English hymn which was recited during Holy Communion. Bro. Jose, who was an expert in piano was playing the music. After listening to it once, all the aspirants began to recite it by looking to the book. The song was like this:

What a friend we have in Jesus

All our sins and grieves 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

From the back bench, Bro. Sanil stood up and came to the front. He told us that this song is one of the most popular songs recited during Communion like the song ‘Va va eesho nadha’ in Malayalam. He told us that this song has a history, which is unknown even to those who are familiar with the song.

The hymn was composed by Joseph M Scriven, an Irish and devoted member of Plymouth Brethren Church and a philanthropist who always desired to help the marginalized. Joseph was born in 1819 and graduated from Trinity College in Dublin. He fell in love with a young lady who desired to marry him. However, on the day before their wedding, she fell from her horse and was drowned in the river. He stood helplessly watching from the other side.

To overcome his sorrow, Joseph began to wander and he reached Port Hope, Canada. He was well respected among the people of Port Hope, as he shared his clothes with those who hadn’t and helped in the studies of children in that locality. There he met, Elisa Roche, a young lady and again fell in love. They built many plans for their future life, but unfortunately she died of pneumonia before they could wed. These two incidents were much enough to shatter the life of a young man who desired a bright life ahead.

He turned to his faith and began to study Holy Bible to recover from this. 10 years later, he came to know that his mother who was in Ireland became seriously ill. Joseph was unable to reach there as he had given all his possessions to the poor. In order to comfort his mother, he wrote the story of his life in 3 short verses that he called “What a friend we have in Jesus”.

Later, he said, “The Lord and I together wrote the song”. Let’s examine ourselves in the light of the above incident. All of us face many setbacks and difficulties in our lives. And we pray, “Father, take this cup of suffering away from me”. But we forget to pray the remaining sentence, ”Yet, I want Your will to be done, not mine”. Even if I write like this, I know that this is not an easy task to surrender ourselves to God. But if you ask for his grace, it is sure that He give you the strength.