The verses build on one another, carrying the same theme throughout: first raising the questions we have about our pain and sorrow, and then answering those questions with assurance of God’s power and love. Scriven’s text has remained largely unchanged since it was first published in 1857. As one of the best-known hymns of comfort, it is certain that the Lord used Scriven to bless many in their own times of sorrow. After its publication, a neighbor asked if Scriven really did write it, and he replied, “The Lord and I did it between us” ( Lutheran Hymnal Handbook). Shortly after Scriven moved to Ontario, it’s said he wrote the text “What a Friend” to send back to his mother in Ireland to comfort her in a time of sorrow. And yet, God still works in and through our stories and losses to fulfill His purposes. It’s a tragic story and, like all tragedies, hard to make sense of. Penniless and alone, Scriven was later found drowned in Rice Lake. His volunteer work with the impoverished and sickly as he tried to live as closely to the Sermon on the Mount as possible was frowned upon by those friends, however, and they quickly disassociated themselves from him. With no job in a hard economy, Scriven had to live with friends and acquaintances. His second fiancée, however, also died suddenly from an illness shortly before the wedding. Scriven moved to Rice Lake, Ontario, and was soon to be wed again. Things were looking up as he prepared to be married, but on the eve before his wedding, his fiancée died tragically in a drowning accident. At a young age he had to give up his military ambitions due to poor health. Scriven, the author of this text, was hard and filled with tragedy. A collection of his poetry was published in Hymns and Other Verses (1869).Īs a hymn of encouragement to pray amid the "sins and griefs" we encounter on our journey of life. Although not great poetry, the text has spiritual appeal and an effective repeated phrase, "take it to the Lord in prayer." Because of its simple encouragement to "pray without ceasing," the text is much loved in many circles of Christendom. Scriven's text clearly arises from his own experiences in life. Converse, in his various hymnals (from 1875 on). Sankey ( PHH 73) included the text, set to the familiar tune by Charles C. When asked by a neighbor about his writing of the text, Scriven modestly commented, “The Lord and I did it between us.” The text was published anonymously in Horace Hastings's Social Hymns, Original and Selected (1865), but Scriven was given proper credit in Hastings's Songs of Pilgrimage (1886). Scriven wrote "What a Friend" to comfort his sick mother in Dublin, possibly right after the death of his second fiancee. Because Scriven suffered from depression, no one knew if his death by drowning in Rice Lake was suicide or an accident. A member of the Plymouth Brethren, he tried to live according to the Sermon on the Mount as literally as possible, giving and sharing all he had and often doing menial tasks for the poor and physically disabled. He also experienced mistrust from neighbors who did not appreciate his eccentricities or his work with the underprivileged. Following this calamity Scriven seldom had a regular income, and he was forced to live in the homes of others. His plans for marriage were dashed again when his new bride-to-be died after a short illness in 1855. Later that year he moved to Ontario, where he taught school in Woodstock and Brantford. Soon after came a second blow–his fiancee died in a drowning accident on the eve of their wedding in 1844. However, poor health forced him to give up that ambition. Because his life was filled with grief and trials, Scriven often needed the solace of the Lord as described in his famous hymn.Įducated at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, he enrolled in a military college to prepare for an army career. Bewdley, Rice Lake, ON, Canada, 1886), an Irish immigrant to Canada, wrote this text near Port Hope, Ontario, in 1855. Seapatrick, County Down, Ireland, 1819 d.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |