Tearful Sowing --- Joyful Reaping

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS Hymn

This morning I was searching for a particular hymn that a friend had asked me about and I ran across a story about a man who wrote this well known and encouraging Christian hymn.  It made me think of a verse from the Psalms.

Those who go out weeping,

carrying seed to sow,

will return with songs of joy,

carrying sheaves with them.

Psalm 126:6 NIV

The hymn writer's name was Joseph Medlicott Scriven (1819-1886). He certainly went out into his manhood weeping.  Shortly after graduating from Christian college, he was to be married.  Tragically, the night before their wedding, his fiance drowned to death.  He was heartbroken.  His earthly best friend had left him.  

He traveled from his homeland of Ireland across the ocean to Canada and taught in Ontario. There he also became a tutor and eventually met a woman he planned to marry.  By remarkable coincidence, shortly before the wedding, this woman also lost her life.  Jesus Christ became his best and closest friend.  

The words to the above hymn were written as a poem for his mother. She was still in Ireland and had become terribly ill.  He had no means to travel to be by her side and none to send to her.  Yet, he wanted her to know and be comforted that Jesus was always by her side.  He was the best friend she could ever know.  He would be her closest and dearest friend and be with her always.

This hymn was lived out in Joseph's life.  He trusted Jesus through the greatest of losses.  He lived the rest of his life serving others.  He certainly had personal weeping, but it had led him closer to his Savior. He took the seeds of sorrow in his own life and sowed them into serving others.  I'm sure that his harvest in heaven is great.  Rejoicing, he is with his Lord and Friend and the many sheaves (folks he led to the Lord) are with him.  

I used this hymn from a vintage hymnal and added the artwork to make a sheet music print suitable for framing. Please feel free to copy it to use for your personal use only.
It can print to 8" x 10".  Many blessings to you!

Listen to the Psalm mentioned above on BibleGateway.com.