What a Friend We Have in Jesus

What a Friend We Have in Jesus is a hymn text by Joseph Medlicott Scriven (1855) in 8.7.8.7 D meter. Found in bh08 334, ch95 585, elw 742, gtg 465. Sung to CONVERSE.

The hymn exemplifies Lutheran theology of prayer as direct access to God through Christ, emphasizing the priesthood of all believers and the privilege of approaching God with all concerns. It reflects the comfort of the Gospel in affirming Jesus as both friend and advocate, addressing human suffering through the promise of divine care.

History & Background

Written by Irish-born Joseph Scriven around 1855, originally as a poem to comfort his mother during illness. The text was first published in 1869 and paired with the tune CONVERSE; it was later set to the tune ERIE and became one of the most beloved English-language hymns in Christian worship.

Joseph M. Scriven (b. Seapatrick, County Down, Ireland, 1819; Scripture References d. Bewdley, Rice Lake, ON, Canada, 1886), an Irish immigrant st. 1 -John 15:15 Eph. 6:18 to Canada, wrote this text near Port Hope, Ontario, in 1855. 1 Thess. 5:17 Because his life was filled with grief and trials, Scriven often needed the solace of the Lord as described in his famous hymn. st. 3-Matt. 11:28-30 Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, he enrolled in a military college to prepare for an army career. However, poor health forced him to give up that ambition. Soon after came a second blow—his fiancee died in a drowning accident on the eve of their wedding in 1844. Later that year he moved to Ontario, where he taught school in Woodstock and Brantford. His plans for marriage were dashed again when his new bride-to-be died after a short illness in 1855. Following this calamity Scriven seldom had a regular income, and he was forced to live in the homes of others. He also experienced mistrust from neighbors who did not appreciate his eccentricities or his work with the underprivileged. A member of the Plymouth Brethren, he tried to live according to the Sermon on the Mount as literally as possible, giving and sharing all he had and often doing menial tasks for the poor and physically disabled. Because Scriven suffered from depression, no one knew if his death by drowning in Rice Lake was suicide or an accident. Scriven wrote ‘What a Friend” to comfort his sick mother in Dublin, possibly right after the death of his second fiancee. When asked by a neighbor about his writing of the text, Scriven modestly commented, “The Lord and I did it between us.” The text was published anonymously in Horace Hastings’s Social Hymns, Original and Selected (1865), but Scriven was given proper credit in Hastings’s Songs ofPilgrimage (1886). Ira D. Sankey included the text, set to the familiar tune by Charles C. Converse, in his various hymnals (from 1875 on). Scriven’s text clearly arises from his own experiences in life. Although not great poetry, the text has spiritual appeal and an effective repeated phrase, “take it to the Lord in prayer.” Because of its simple encouragement to “pray without ceasing,” the 754 HOME & FAMILY text is much loved in many circles of Christendom. A collection of his poetry was published in Hymns and Other Verses (1869).

Hymnal Appearances

• Baptist Hymnal — 334
• Chalice Hymnal — 585
• Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 742
• Glory to God — 465
• Lutheran Book of Worship — 439
• Lutheran Service Book — 770
• Lift Up Your Hearts — 769
• Lutheran Worship — 516
• New Century Hymnal — 506
• Psalter Hymnal — 579
• Trinity Hymnal — 629
• The Lutheran Hymnal — 457
• United Methodist Hymnal — 526
• Voices Together — 575

Liturgical Use

As a hymn of encouragement to pray amid the “sins and griefs” we encounter on our journey of life.

Bulletin Note

Written in 1855 by Joseph Scriven, an Irish-Canadian poet, during a season of personal loss. The tune ERIE reflects the hymn's gentle invitation to pour out all our sorrows before the One who carries our griefs.

Preaching Connection

This hymn transforms the Law's exposure of human helplessness and isolation into the Gospel's proclamation that Jesus stands as our eternally faithful Friend and intercessor, inverting despair into confident access to God's throne of grace.

Stanza Arc

The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: From Christ's friendship and intercessory role to the universal comfort of prayer in all circumstances—temptation, burden, and abandonment—concluding with Christ's unwavering faithfulness

Overview

Written by an Irish immigrant to Canada who knew much personal sorrow, originally as a private poem to comfort his mother. It is a hymn about prayer, grounded in Christ's friendship: Jesus bears our sins and griefs, so we may bring everything to God (st. 1); in trials, weakness, and rejection we take it to the Lord (st. 2-3). Its simplicity has made it one of the most loved hymns worldwide. A Lutheran reading notes that its first and decisive claim is that Christ bears our sins — prayer rests on the atonement.

Central theme: Bringing every sin, grief, and trial to God in prayer, through Jesus the faithful Friend who bears them

Structure

Three stanzas each built on the refrain 'Take it to the Lord in prayer'; st. 1 the privilege, st. 2 trials, st. 3 weakness and rejection.

Law & Gospel Shape

Gospel: Jesus bears 'all our sins and griefs.' A gentle Law note in 'what peace we often forfeit… because we do not carry everything to God' — neglect of prayer as unbelief.

Confessional Connections

Prayer commanded and promised (Large Catechism, Lord's Prayer intro): God commands us to pray and promises to hear. Christ's priestly sympathy (Heb 4:15). Prayer in Jesus' name rests on his atoning work.

Liturgical Use (Study Notes)

Sundays on prayer (Luke 11, 18); funerals; times of trouble; devotional use.

Historical Notes

Scriven (1819-1886) lost his fiancée to drowning the day before their wedding and later a second fiancée to illness; he spent his life serving the poor in Port Hope, Ontario.

About the Tune

FRIEND in TLH; CONVERSE (Charles C. Converse, 1868) in LSB/ELW.

Scripture References

John 15:13-15 Isa 53:4 1 Pet 5:7 Phil 4:6-7 Heb 4:15-16 Matt 11:28 Ps 27:10 Matt 21:22

Stanza by Stanza

Themes

Prayer and supplication Jesus as intercessor Comfort in suffering Trust in Christ Access to God through Christ

Look Further

• Search Hymnary.org for "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" ↗
• Search IMSLP for public-domain scores of "CONVERSE" ↗