His volunteer work with the impoverished and sickly as he tried to live as closely to the Sermon on the Mount as possible was frowned upon by those friends, however, and they quickly disassociated themselves from him. With no job in a hard economy, Scriven had to live with friends and acquaintances. His second fiancée, however, also died suddenly from an illness shortly before the wedding. Scriven moved to Rice Lake, Ontario, and was soon to be wed again. Things were looking up as he prepared to be married, but on the eve before his wedding, his fiancée died tragically in a drowning accident. At a young age he had to give up his military ambitions due to poor health. Scriven, the author of this text, was hard and filled with tragedy. A collection of his poetry was published in Hymns and Other Verses (1869).Īs a hymn of encouragement to pray amid the "sins and griefs" we encounter on our journey of 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 text is much loved in many circles of Christendom.
Scriven's text clearly arises from his own experiences in life. Converse, in his various hymnals (from 1875 on). Sankey ( PHH 73) included the text, set to the familiar tune by Charles C. 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 of Pilgrimage (1886). Scriven wrote "What a Friend" to comfort his sick mother in Dublin, possibly right after the death of his second fiancee. Because Scriven suffered from depression, no one knew if his death by drowning in Rice Lake was suicide or an accident. 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. He also experienced mistrust from neighbors who did not appreciate his eccentricities or his work with the underprivileged. Following this calamity Scriven seldom had a regular income, and he was forced to live in the homes of others. His plans for marriage were dashed again when his new bride-to-be died after a short illness in 1855. Later that year he moved to Ontario, where he taught school in Woodstock and Brantford. Soon after came a second blow–his fiancee died in a drowning accident on the eve of their wedding in 1844. However, poor health forced him to give up that ambition. Because his life was filled with grief and trials, Scriven often needed the solace of the Lord as described in his famous hymn.Įducated at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, he enrolled in a military college to prepare for an army career. Bewdley, Rice Lake, ON, Canada, 1886), an Irish immigrant to Canada, wrote this text near Port Hope, Ontario, in 1855. Seapatrick, County Down, Ireland, 1819 d. Soon in glory bright, unclouded, There will be no need for prayer-Rapture, praise, and endless worship Will be our sweet portion there.St. May we ever, Lord, be bringing All to Thee in earnest 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.Ĥ. Are we weak and heavy-laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge-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.ģ. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged-Take it to the Lord in prayer. 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!Ģ. Lyrics and Information What a Friend We Have in Jesus
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