How Sweet The Sound: What A Friend We Have In Jesus with Craig Groeschel

What a Friend We Have in Jesus: Carry Everything to God in Prayer

Scripture References

Primary text

• Philippians 4:6
• John 15:15
• James 5:16

Other references

• 1 Peter 5:7
• Isaiah 54:17

Overview

Prayer is not a stiff religious exercise to a distant God; it is conversation with a Friend who invites us to bring everything to Him. Using the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” Pastor Craig exposed common misconceptions about prayer, told the story behind the hymn, and showed how talking, venting, listening, and thanking anchor us in God’s peace even when circumstances stay hard. The call: drop the needless weight we carry and experience the supernatural peace that comes from practicing God’s presence through prayer.

Main Points

Misconceptions that block prayer

• Prayer seems complicated: special language, precise “formula,” or perfect order intimidates many believers.
• Prayer feels boring: even Jesus’ disciples fell asleep; our minds wander, distractions flood in.
• Prayer “doesn’t work”: unanswered requests create doubt—“Did I do something wrong? Does God care?”

Who we are addressing

• We do not pray to an uninvolved, hard-to-please deity but to a caring, personal God who calls us friend (John 15:15).
• Jesus was mocked as “a friend of sinners,” yet that friendship grants us access to God’s throne of grace.

The hymn’s back-story underscores the message

• Story: Joseph Scriven lost two fiancées to tragic deaths (one the day before the wedding, the other weeks before). Devastated, he moved to Canada, lived out the Sermon on the Mount, and penned a poem for his dying mother. That poem became the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”
• Lyrics highlighted:

  “Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share?
  Jesus knows our every weakness—take it to the Lord in prayer.”

Why and how to pray (four practices)

1. Talk to God

   • “If it’s big enough to worry about, it’s big enough to pray about” (Philippians 4:6).
   • Short bursts throughout the day create an ongoing awareness of His presence—“I never pray long, but I never go long without praying.”

2. Vent to God

   • Cast every anxiety on Him (1 Peter 5:7).
   • Fair-play prayers: “God, this makes me mad… I don’t understand…”—He cares like a good Father.

3. Listen to God

   • “Speak, Lord; your servant is listening.”
   • God speaks through Scripture, circumstances, people, songs, and the still small voice of His Spirit.
   • Opening the Bible (YouVersion) daily is a guaranteed way to hear Him.

4. Give thanks to God—always

   • Gratitude anchors us in His character, brings peace beyond understanding (Philippians 4:6-7).
   • Story: Pastor’s daughter Mandy continues chronic illness yet testifies to deeper intimacy with Jesus, ministry through her YouTube channel, and a strengthened marriage—evidence that prayer may not change circumstances immediately but always changes us.

Corporate action: praying for one another

• Following James 5:16, the congregation wrote personal requests on cards and exchanged them to intercede all week, trusting that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Key Truths

• Prayer is a privilege, not a performance; we approach a Friend, not a formula.
• Worry and prayer occupy the same space—choose prayer and God’s peace floods in.
• True peace is not the absence of problems but the presence of God.
• Prayer may or may not alter situations, but it always reshapes the person who prays.
• God speaks; believers can learn to recognize and follow His voice.

Response

• Trade worry for prayer the moment anxiety surfaces.
• Schedule short, regular check-ins with God throughout your day.
• Name your honest frustrations to the Lord instead of stuffing them.
• Pause daily to listen—open Scripture, quiet your heart, and expect Him to guide.
• Keep a gratitude list, thanking God for specific gifts and past faithfulness.
• Commit to pray daily for the request you received from another believer this week.

Closing

Carrying our own burdens forfeits the peace Jesus purchased for us. Real friendship with Him means relentless, all-of-life prayer—talking, venting, listening, thanking. As we do, God’s incomprehensible peace guards our hearts and minds, and the church lives in the middle of the move of God we once only prayed to see.

“What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I trust You to save me and forgive me.
Jesus, be first in my life; forgive all my sins.
Fill me with Your Spirit so I can know You, walk with You, and show Your love in all I do.
My life is not my own—today I give it to You. Thank You for new life; now You have mine.

Resources

• Hymn: “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” by Joseph Medlicott Scriven