What A Friend

A testimony about friendship leads into a hymn in this Mary Mary track. "People told me all of my life, true friendship's hard to come by," they sing, "but I had to find out for myself." What they found is stated in the chorus, which borrows the old hymn directly: "What a friend we have in Jesus, all of our sins and griefs He'll bear."

The second verse contrasts human and divine loyalty. "Friends with limited warranties," the duo sings, are set against "a lifetime guaranteed friend" they never knew "until You." That idea of a friend who sticks closer than anyone else reflects Proverbs 18:24 and Jesus' words in John 15:15 calling his followers friends.

The chorus ends on the hymn's prayer line, "what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer," and then the phrase is repeated five more times, so that the last thing the listener hears is the invitation. It matches the instructions in 1 Peter 5:7 and Philippians 4:6 to bring every anxiety to God.