GHS 169 : What A Friend We Have In Jesus Lyrics
GHS 169, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus,” is one of the most universally beloved hymns in the Christian world. Written by Joseph M. Scriven in 1855 as a poem intended to comfort his mother in Ireland while he remained in Canada, the hymn was not written for public use but was discovered and published years later. Its message is simply and completely about what prayer means when the friend being addressed is Jesus: every sin, every grief, every trial, every temptation, every weakness, every despised or forsaken moment can be carried to Him in prayer, and none of it will overwhelm the one who does so.
The famous observation at the end of the first stanza, that believers forfeit so much peace by failing to carry everything to God in prayer, is one of the most searching lines in all of hymnody. This hymn appears as number 169 in the Gospel Hymns and Songs (GHS) collection, used in Deeper Life Bible Church and related assemblies across West Africa.
Hymn Lyrics – GHS 169: What A Friend We Have In Jesus
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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.
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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 every weakness, Take it to the Lord in prayer.
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Are we weak and heavy laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Saviour, still our refuge — Take it to the Lord in 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.
