Prov. 18:24 sends me off on
a journey of exploration on the Internet. “A man that hath friends must
shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a
brother.” Who else could that sticky friend be but God, although the
translations seem to stay with the human sense of friendship. I was
reminded of the little children’s book called My best Friend. (I
am not sure if this is still available in Christian Science Reading
Rooms.) By the way the NKJV directs us to John 15:14 in connection with
this proverb. It reads there: “You are My friends if you do whatever I
command you.” This quotes Jesus.
The other memory that came
was of the hymn I sang at the Methodist Sunday School, What a Friend we have
in Jesus. I found the words on http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh526.sht. Here they are. (The tune is also on that site.)
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.
2. 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.
3. Are we
weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, 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.
Aren’t they great words? [How do I
get back to black type, I wonder? I did it! The way one learns
lessons on the computer! There is a big A up there on the tool bar
which does the trick.] The only thing is
that they equate Jesus with God, but as the Bible and Science & Health teach us, Jesus and God – one in quality, not
in quantity. (See S&H 360:28-19n.p.)
Wikipedia tells me that
Joseph Scriven wrote the words, in 1855, to comfort his mother; his mother
being in Ireland and he in Canada. The music is by Charles
Converse. For sure Mrs. Eddy knew this hymn. The hymn has quite a history. It is
used in Japan, Indonesia, and India (Hindi); Ella Fitzgerald is on YouTube
singing it; Aretha Franklin has sung it; and during World War II the soldiers
sang the tune with the words, When this lousy (?) war is over.
Wikipedia tells us that Joseph Scriven was born in 1819 of prosperous parents in Banbridge, Ireland. He was a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin. At the age of 25, he decided to leave his native country and migrate to Canada. His reasons for leaving his country seem to be two-fold: the religious influence of the Plymouth Brethren upon his life, estranging him from his family; and his fiancée’s accidental drowning in 1845 the night before they were to be married.[2] The grief-stricken young man moved to Canada. There he again fell in love, was due to be married when the young woman suddenly fell ill with pneumonia and died. He then devoted the rest of his life to helping others. In 1855, while staying with companion Mr. James Sackville, he received news from Ireland that his mother was terribly ill. He wrote a poem to comfort her called "Pray Without Ceasing." It was later set to music and renamed by Charles Crozat Converse, becoming the hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus".[1] Joseph neither intended nor ever dreamt that his poem would be published in the newspaper and later become a favorite hymn among the millions of Christians around the world.[3]
Wikipedia says that the
composer Charles
Crozat Converse (October 7, 1832 - October 18, 1918) was a United
States attorney who also worked as a composer of church songs. He
was born in Warren, Massachusetts.
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