What a friend we have in Jesus

I went to a service of thanksgiving this afternoon for a wonderful woman, who died at the age of 88. She trained and practised as a surgeon at a time when there were very few female doctors, then after the birth of her three children she specialised in rheumatology to give her more structured working hours. She was a very active member of our church, served on the local deanery Synod and was also a prison visitor. 

I really enjoyed hearing the choir sing various hymns and choruses before the service started, but none more so than when they sang "What a friend we have in Jesus". I couldn’t help myself, I was transported back to the days when I belonged to a Crusader class (girls’ bible study class) and my heart was so full of joy. I know the words of the hymn by heart, so I joined in, very softly, under my breath, enjoying the familiar, comforting words. I wish we sang it more often in church but it’s probably considered too old fashioned these days.

Later on, when having a cup of tea with Smithers, I decided to try and find out a bit more about the hymn and its author. It transpires that it was actually written as a poem, entitled "Pray without ceasing" and was not originally intended as a hymn. The writer, Joseph Scriven, was an Irishman who had emigrated to Canada some years before, and when he learned that his mother had become very ill he wrote the poem to comfort her.  It was later set to music, and renamed, by Charles Converse, becoming the familiar hymn that we now know.

Joseph Scriven’s life was filled with sadness; his fiancée accidentally drowned the night before they were due to be married in 1843. He emigrated to Canada the following year, believing himself to be called to serve the Lord there. About ten years later he became engaged again but, incredibly, his second fiancée contracted pneumonia and died before they were married. He then devoted the rest of his life to teaching, preaching and helping others.