What a Friend We Have in Jesus

December 10, 2023
Devotional by: Lorene Malanowski

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.

Lyrics by Joseph Scriven, c. 1855, for his mother who lived in Ireland and he in Canada

There are so many hymns that speak to me. Most recently, Meghan and the strings played “What a friend we have in Jesus” as the opening voluntary in church. It struck me that I had not heard this hymn for a while and I remembered how it had touched me as a little child. At that time, I cherished the idea that Jesus was my friend who loved me and on whom I could always depend. Now what strikes me is the line, “We should never be discouraged.” In the last few years, I believe I have forgotten that phrase and have been discouraged many times. The rest of that phrase, “Take it to the Lord in prayer”, is what we all need to remember when the state of our lives, our communities, our country, and/or the world, tend to leave us discouraged and not very hopeful. Isaiah 43:19 demonstrates that we should never count GOD out in bringing beauty out of brokenness or miraculous paths through wildernesses. In the meantime, as we wait, let us all “take it to the Lord in prayer.” 

 Prayer – My friend, Jesus, fill our hearts with hope, knowing you are always there for us. Amen