Joseph Scriven’s (1819–1886) life was filled with tragedies. He lost his two fiancés, one from accidental drowning the day before their wedding and the other from an illness. He also left a career that he had strived for because of his poor health. But in spite of all these troubles, Scriven managed to hang on and he even encouraged those around him. According to the writer Guthrie Clark (1955), Scriven wrote the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” in his final days to comfort his mother. In this hymn, Scriven talks about his relationship with Jesus—his Friend, his Saviour, his Comforter...