Dear Family and Friends: Do you need a Friend? I was reminded this morning of a much-beloved hymn written in late 1800, titled ‘What a Friend we have in Jesus.’ This hymn was originally a poem written by Joseph Scriven, who sought to bring comfort to his mother, who was very ill. The last two verses are my favorite:
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
Scriven named the poem ‘Pray without Ceasing,’ however, after his death, it was changed to ‘What a Friend we have in Jesus.’ Do you need a friend?
Jesus has declared Himself to be our Friend who holds all our secrets and loves us still. As we celebrate the power of the gospel today, Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection on our behalf, remember we will never find a Friend so faithful. He alone knows the true depth of all our joys, sorrows, and weakness. He bids us bring them all to Him in prayer. (John 15: 13-15; Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
May I share something with you… True to His word, Jesus, my Friend, gave me counsel this week as I shared some challenges I was facing with Him. My prayer felt desperate, and all I wanted was Jesus to take the issue in hand and resolve it, make it go away. His response both surprised and challenged me. He said, ‘Instead of asking Me to remove the mountain, ask Me to give you the strength to climb it. And that is what I did. The burden was lifted because the truth was revealed. Jesus, my Friend, knew if He moved the mountain, I would have been deprived of His great Friendship as we faced the mountain together.
If you need a friend… Look no further; Jesus is continuously extending His hand in friendship to us. Will you take His hand today?
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