What a Friend We Have in Jesus (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 742)
1 What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
ev’rything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit;
oh, what needless pain we bear —
all because we do not carry
ev’rything to God in prayer!
2 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 ev’ry weakness —
take it to the Lord in prayer.
3 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 your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
In his arms he’ll take and shield you;
you will find a solace there.
Text: Joseph Scriven; Music: Charles C. Converse; Public Domain
Devotion
My mother couldn’t carry a tune, but she loved to sing. Sundays in church she would belt out every hymn. She knew a lot of them. Her parents sang them in church when she was a kid. When “What A Friend We have in Jesus” came around, you could hear her across the aisle. Little matter that she was off pitch; she was happy to sing every verse. They spoke directly to her: “Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear; all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” She liked it so much that we sang it at her funeral. She died two weeks shy of her 94th birthday. She had lived in the same small town all her life, and died five blocks from where she was born. The pews were full the day we said goodbye. She had been a good friend to many. Jesus was her model.
Prayer
May my life be a song that points to Christ and proclaims your glory, O Lord. Amen.