My Special Friend

“What a friend we in Jesus, all our sins and grieves to bear!
What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!” – Joseph M. Scriven

As I examined the first verse of this well-known hymn, I wanted to avoid my usual response of just thoughtlessly reading over the lines. Instead, I tried to understand the words and to apply them to my life.

“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grieves to bear. Jesus is our ultimate Friend. He never leaves nor forsakes us. He does not exclude us for our outward appearance, or because we do not own the coolest car. Jesus loves us for who we are. He created us. We are His masterpiece.

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!” Jesus loves us so much that He bears all of our sins, all of our grieves, and all of our worries. We cannot find a closer friend in this world. Who wants us to give them all of our burdens? Most humans would rather us keep our problems to ourselves. Bringing everything — all of our anxieties, concerns, feelings -— to God in prayer is priceless privilege that God has given to us.

“Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” Many times we experience needless pain and sorrow because we, as humans, try to mend our problems ourselves. We try to heal our own wounds. In the end, we eventually sacrifice the peace and joy in our life just because we avoid the simple step of taking everything to God in prayer.

As I read the words to this hymn, I thought about how the Lord is my special Friend. Whenever I experience a hard day or when I do not understand my homework or why certain things happen, I just “take it to the Lord in prayer.” When I obey His prompting to come before Him, I am able to experience His priceless friendship. Will you also accept this privilege? Will you do the same? Will you avoid “needless pain” and “carry everything to God in prayer?” God can be your special friend too.