If you’re like may others, you’ve turned to this
hymn expecting the Jack P. Scholfield classic Saved,
Saved! While the title to this one may be the first
words of that one, I’ve Found a Friend is its own
separate hymn. The text paints a picture of Jesus,
describing the many attributes that make him, “O such
a Friend!” George C. Stebbins wrote the tunes to
many classics, such as “Jesus, I Come,” and
“Jesus Is Calling.” This title may not be as
famous, but it is certainly wor...(+)
If you’re like may others, you’ve turned to this
hymn expecting the Jack P. Scholfield classic Saved,
Saved! While the title to this one may be the first
words of that one, I’ve Found a Friend is its own
separate hymn. The text paints a picture of Jesus,
describing the many attributes that make him, “O such
a Friend!” George C. Stebbins wrote the tunes to
many classics, such as “Jesus, I Come,” and
“Jesus Is Calling.” This title may not be as
famous, but it is certainly worthy of being
performed.
1. I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend!
He loved me ere I Knew Him;
He drew me with the cords of love,
And thus He bound me to Him.
And round my heart still closely twine
Those ties which naught can sever,
For I am His and He is mine,
Forever and forever.
2. I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend!
He bled, He died to save me;
And not alone the gift of life,
But His own self He gave me.
Naught that I have my own I call,
I hold it for the Giver:
My heart, my strength, my life, my all
Are His, and His forever.
3. I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend!
All pow’r to Him is given
To guard me on my onward course
And bring me safe to Heaven.
Th’eternal glories glaeam afar
To nerve my faint endeavor:
So now to watch, to work, to war,
And then to rest forever.
4. I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend!
So kind and true and tender,
So wise a Counsellor and Guide,
So mighty a Defender!
From Him Who loves me now so well,
What pow’r my soul can sever?
Shall life or death or earth or hell?
No—I am His forever!
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Without a doubt, “It Is
Well with My Soul” is one of
the most famous hymns in the
English language, due to its
stirring words, its
heartwrenching melody, and the
famous story behind it—wait,
you’ve never heard the tale
of how it was written?
Well, let’s fix that!
Horatio Spafford was a famous
lawyer and hymnwriter in the
United States in the
nineteenth century. In the
early 1870s, he had three
tragedies strike him, all
around the same time. First,
his two-year-old son died of
scarlet fever. Second, he
invested in several buildings
in Chicago—and, as you might
know, the early 1870s saw the
Great Chicago Fire. Yes, it
got the buildings. Far worse
was what happened two years
later, when Spafford’s wife
and four daughters were
sailing across the Atlantic.
Their ship wrecked, and though
Spafford’s wife survived,
none of his daughters made it.
It was on his return to that
fateful spot that Spafford had
the idea for those famous
words... “When Peace like a
River…” In fact, that
very line is likely a
reference to Isaiah 48:17-18.
“Thus saith the Lord, thy
Redeemer, the Holy One of
Israel; I am the Lord thy God
which teacheth thee to profit,
which leadeth thee by the way
that thou shouldest go. O
that thou hadst hearkened to
my commandments! then had thy
peace been as a river, and thy
righteousness as the waves of
the sea.”
Well, Spafford was a believer,
yet he had these three
tragedies overtake him—and
still, he was able to write
these words? What was the
secret? It can be found in
Philippians 4:11: “Not that
I speak in respect of want:
for I have learned, in
whatsoever state I am,
therewith to be content.”
The Christian can be content,
for he has the Maker of the
Universe, the all-powerful God
Who loves us, on His
side…and though we might
face trials in this world, we
can take comfort in knowing
that there is more to life
than whatever circumstances
befall us. The same God that
let Satan bring all those
trials on Job restored twice
as much as Job had possessed
before, but this is but a dim
picture of the blessings he
will bestow on us when we all
get to Heaven!
This volume also contains
other such classics as “Have
Thine Own Way, Lord,” “No,
Never Alone,” and “I Know
Whom I Have Believed.” In
addition, there are several
hymns which have not become as
well-known, but all of which
have great tunes and great
words. Most of these were not
inspired by tragedies like the
ones Spafford went
through—and yet, were it not
for those tragedies, would It
Is Well with My Soul be the
classic it is today?