The Refuge of Prayer in the Darkest Hour
Whenever life overwhelms the heart with grief, sorrow, and unexpected burdens, the gentle strains of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" offer solace unlike almost any other hymn. Its words read like an intimate letter of tender pastoral counsel. And that is precisely what it was: a private letter written by a deeply grieving son to his ailing mother, never intended for the eyes of the public.
A Bride Lost on the Eve of Marriage
Joseph Medlicott Scriven was born in Seapatrick, County Down, Ireland, in 1819. The son of a prosperous Royal Navy captain, Scriven graduated from Trinity College in Dublin and prepared to marry a young woman he deeply loved.
In 1844, on the very eve of their planned wedding day, Scriven was riding his horse to meet his bride-to-be. As he approached the river crossing, her horse was spooked and threw her into the swollen Bann River. By the time Scriven reached the riverbank, she had drowned. Scriven pulled the lifeless body of his beloved from the waters in unimaginable grief.
Exile to Canada and a Humble Life of Service
Devastated by memories of his lost bride and unable to find peace in Ireland, Scriven resolved to leave his homeland behind. At age twenty-five, he emigrated to Canada, settling in the small frontier town of Port Hope, Ontario, on the northern shore of Lake Ontario.
In Port Hope, Scriven lived in radical, Christlike humility. He gave away almost all his possessions, chopped wood for poor widows, tutored destitute children, and cared for the sick, refusing payment of any kind. Known locally as the "Good Samaritan of Port Hope," he dressed in humble clothes and carried his wood-saw everywhere, serving the lowest and most forgotten members of the community.
Tragedy Strikes Twice
Years later, joy seemed to return to Scriven's life when he fell in love with a young Canadian woman named Eliza Roche, the niece of a friend with whom he boarded. They became engaged, and Scriven dared to believe God had restored his happiness.
Yet in 1859, just before their wedding day, Eliza contracted pneumonia. Scriven nursed her day and night, praying desperately for her recovery. Despite all efforts, Eliza passed away. For the second time in his life, Scriven stood over the grave of his intended bride, his heart shattered into pieces.
A Mother's Illness and a Secret Poem (1855)
Between these two seasons of sorrow, in 1855, Scriven received news from Ireland that his beloved mother was critically ill and suffering through profound emotional distress. Being completely penniless from his service to the poor, Scriven could not afford the boat fare to cross the Atlantic to be at her bedside.
Desiring to send her comfort, Scriven sat down by candlelight and penned a three-stanza poem reminding her where to find true refuge. He titled it "Pray Without Ceasing":
"What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs 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!"
Scriven mailed the letter to Ireland, intending that no one outside of his mother would ever read its verses.
Discovery by a Neighbor
Nearly thirty years later, as Scriven lay seriously ill in a neighbor's cottage, a friend named James Sackville came to visit. Sitting by Scriven's bedside, Sackville noticed a handwritten manuscript of verses tucked inside a Bible on the nightstand.
Reading the moving lines with tears in his eyes, Sackville asked, "Joseph, did you write this beautiful poem?"
Scriven replied with profound humility:
"The Lord and I wrote it between us. It was sent to my mother to comfort her during a time of great sorrow."
Sackville sent the poem to a local paper, and it soon caught the attention of American composer Charles C. Converse, who paired the words with the warm, comforting melody we know today. Ira D. Sankey immediately recognized the genius of the hymn, introducing it across Britain and America and enshrining it as Hymn #319 in Sacred Songs and Solos.
A Friend That Sticks Closer Than a Brother
Joseph Scriven died in 1886 and was buried in a quiet grave near Rice Lake, Ontario. A towering granite monument was later erected by the citizens of Port Hope with the words of his hymn engraved on its pedestal.
Whenever you face loneliness, disappointment, or sudden loss, remember Joseph Scriven's testimony: Earthly relationships may fail and circumstances may crumble, but in Jesus Christ, you have an everlasting Friend whose ear is perpetually open to your cry.