A Message From Santiago "Jimmy" Mellado
Dear Prayer Partner,
One thing I really love about hymns is the rich stories behind them. Throughout this year I’d love to spend time digging into some of these stories as well as stories from my own life in the hope that it will inspire our own prayers.
Have you ever sung “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”? It’s a beautiful song about Jesus’ ability to bear our sins and grief alongside us. And when you know the story of Joseph Scriven, who wrote the poem that inspired this song, those words take on a deeper meaning.
Scriven suffered the tragic loss of his fiancée the night before their wedding. Years later, he became engaged again, only to lose his fiancée to pneumonia before they could marry.
When Scriven’s mother fell ill, he wrote her a poem with the words, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!”
Those words served to comfort both Scriven’s mother and his own grieving heart. And my prayer is they will inspire you to pray for the comfort of the children and families we serve who experience what can feel like relentless sorrow. Pray for the orphans who have lost their mothers and fathers. Pray for the families who have lost their homes to natural disasters. Pray for the teenagers who have lost their way.
It truly is a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Thank you for your prayers of comfort this month!
In Christ,
Santiago "Jimmy" Mellado
President and CEO
Compassion International