#10: Scriptures behind the song “What a friend we have in Jesus” by CeCe Winans
The incredible CeCe Winans has just released a version of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” a timeless hymn that still speaks to every burdened heart. CeCe’s soulful voice does the song beautiful justice. This hymn is very special to me, because we sang it at my grandmother’s funeral. Let’s take a closer look at this golden oldie and the scriptures behind it.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — John 15:13 (NIV)
Some hymns are born in suffering. What a Friend We Have in Jesus is one of them. Written by Joseph Scriven in 1855, this beloved hymn was penned not for publication, but as a poem of comfort for his mother back in Ireland while he himself was grieving the loss of his fiancée. He never intended the world to read it. And yet, for nearly two centuries, it has found its way into the hearts of millions who needed exactly what it offers — the reminder that Jesus is not a distant deity, but a close, faithful, caring Friend.
The hymn’s genius is in its simplicity. It asks questions we all ask. It names the struggles we all face. And it keeps returning to the same answer: take it to the Lord in prayer. Let’s walk through each verse and unpack the deep scriptural truths woven into every line.
Verse 1: The Privilege We So Easily Overlook
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!
The hymn opens with a declaration that reframes our entire understanding of who Jesus is. Not just Saviour. Not just Lord. Friend. Jesus Himself used this word — and it wasn’t casual. In John 15:15, He told His disciples: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (NIV). To be called a friend of Jesus is one of the most extraordinary privileges in the Christian life, and the hymn begins by holding it up in wonder.
This Friend bears all our sins and griefs. Isaiah 53:4 prophesied this centuries before the cross: “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering” (NIV). Hebrews 4:15 adds that we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses — Jesus entered into human experience fully, and He carries what we bring to Him.
Then comes the gently convicting heart of the first verse: O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear. This is not accusation — it is pastoral grief. How often do we lie awake carrying burdens that God has already invited us to hand over? Philippians 4:7 describes the peace available to those who pray as one that “transcends all understanding” (NIV) — and yet we forfeit it, simply because we do not ask. James 4:2 makes it startlingly plain: “You do not have because you do not ask God” (NIV). The open door to God is always there. The tragedy is when we stand outside it, needlessly suffering in silence.
Verse 2: He Knows — and He Cares
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!
This verse asks the questions we quietly ask ourselves in our hardest moments. Is there trouble anywhere? The implied answer: yes, everywhere, for everyone. No life is exempt from trials. But the hymn doesn’t pause there — it moves immediately to the antidote: take it to the Lord in prayer.
“We should never be discouraged” — this echoes the consistent call of Scripture. Joshua 1:9 records God’s command: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (NIV). The basis for courage is not our circumstances but God’s presence. Isaiah 41:10 reinforces this: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you” (NIV).
“Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?” — the answer is an unequivocal no. No human friendship, however deep, can match the faithfulness of Jesus. Proverbs 18:24 says “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (NIV) — and the New Testament reveals that friend to be Jesus. Hebrews 13:8 declares He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (NIV) — His faithfulness does not fluctuate with seasons, moods, or circumstances.
And then one of the most comforting lines in all of the hymn: “Jesus knows our every weakness.” Not some of our weaknesses. Not the ones we’ve confessed. Every weakness — including the ones we are ashamed of, the ones we try to hide, the ones we barely understand ourselves. Hebrews 4:15–16 puts it beautifully: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (NIV). He knows — and He is not repelled. He is moved with compassion.
Verse 3: He Is Our Refuge When Everyone Else Leaves
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 your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In his arms he’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.
The third verse moves into deeply personal territory. “Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?” — this is the language of exhaustion. Not just tired, but overloaded. Bowed down. The hymn meets us there without judgment, pointing us to the “Precious Saviour” as our refuge — a word rich with meaning in Scripture. Psalm 46:1 declares: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (NIV). Psalm 91:2 gives us the believer’s personal declaration: “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” (NIV). When the load becomes unbearable, there is a place to go — and His name is Jesus.
Then the hymn faces a pain that is perhaps the sharpest of all: “Do your friends despise, forsake you?” Human rejection cuts deep. Betrayal by those closest to us can wound in ways that are hard to articulate. Scriven knew this personally. And yet Scripture speaks directly into this pain. Psalm 27:10 offers one of the most striking promises in all of the Psalms: “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me” (NIV). Even the most foundational human relationships can fail us. God does not.
Jesus Himself was despised and rejected — Isaiah 53:3 says He was “despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain” (NIV). He is not a stranger to abandonment. He walked through it. Which means when you bring your rejection to Him, He receives it not with polite sympathy but with deep, knowing compassion.
The verse closes with a tender image: “In his arms he’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.” This is the language of a shepherd and a parent. Isaiah 40:11 paints the picture: “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart” (NIV). The shielding arm of God is not metaphor for the believer in distress — it is a lived reality, the very protection that Psalm 121:7–8 promises: “The Lord will keep you from all harm — He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” (NIV).
Solace — what a word. Rest, comfort, relief for the soul. This is what prayer in Jesus’s name offers. Not always an immediate change of circumstances, but an undeniable change within — the settledness that comes from knowing you have been heard, held, and helped.
The Repeated Invitation: Take It to the Lord in Prayer
What makes this hymn structurally remarkable is its relentless return to one phrase: take it to the Lord in prayer. It appears six times across three verses. This is not repetition for the sake of metre — it is the pastoral heart of the song made emphatic through repetition.
Whatever the trial, the temptation, the trouble, the weakness, the loneliness, the rejection — the answer is the same. Not a technique. Not a self-help strategy. A Person. And a posture: prayer.
Luke 18:1 records that Jesus taught His disciples “that they should always pray and not give up” (NIV). Romans 12:12 urges believers to be “faithful in prayer” (NIV). 1 Thessalonians 5:17 condenses it to three words: “pray continually” (NIV). Prayer is not a religious formality — it is the lifeline that connects the burdened heart to the all-sufficient God.
Why This Hymn Still Matters
What a Friend We Have in Jesus has outlived every musical trend because it speaks to something that never changes: the human need for a friend who is always present, always faithful, always strong enough to carry what we cannot.
In an age of surface-level connection and social media friendships that disappear in a moment of inconvenience, the friendship of Jesus stands as a radical and countercultural reality. He knows you fully and loves you completely. He is never too busy, never too distant, never too disappointed to listen.
Joseph Scriven wrote this hymn in grief, not knowing that in doing so he was handing a lifeline to generations of grieving hearts after him. That is what Gospel truth does — it transcends the moment it was written in and speaks into every moment that follows.
Whatever you are carrying today — take it to the Lord in prayer.
Here are the scriptures on which this hymn stands.
A free download of the scripture references is included below.
Key Scripture References: John 15:15 • Isaiah 53:4 • Hebrews 4:15–16 • Philippians 4:6–7 • James 4:2 • Joshua 1:9 • Isaiah 41:10 • Proverbs 18:24 • Hebrews 13:8 • Psalm 46:1 • Psalm 91:2 • Psalm 27:10 • Isaiah 53:3 • Isaiah 40:11 • Psalm 121:7–8 • Luke 18:1 • Romans 12:12 • 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Listen to Cece’s recording of the hymn on Spotify. I love that she kept the original feel of the hymn.
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