My Mother's Favorite Hymn

A young man learned that his mother had become seriously ill, but he was not able to travel the great distance to see her. Wanting so much to comfort her, he penned an inspirational poem called Pray Without Ceasing, and tucked a copy in an envelope with his letter.

Later on, he became ill himself. A friend, sitting by his bedside, caught a glimpse of what appeared to be the scribbled lines of a poem lying on the table, and asked if he could read it.

"Did you write this, Joseph?" the friend questioned.

"The Lord and I did it between us," was the humble answer.

In 1869, the poem for his mother was finally published, along with others, in a simple book entitled, Hymns and Other Verse, by Joseph Scriven. However, the lines to that particular poem have been memorized by millions, and have comforted many who were sick, troubled, or bereaved.

We know it today as, "What a Friend We Have In Jesus".