ALAN JACKSON – “WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS”: A TIMELESS HYMN, A TESTAMENT OF FAITH 🤍🎶
Few voices in country music carry the warmth and sincerity of Alan Jackson, and few songs have ever felt as eternal as “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” When the two meet — Alan’s unmistakable drawl and this timeless hymn — something sacred happens.
Recorded for his 2006 gospel album Precious Memories, the song is more than just a cover; it’s a heartfelt prayer set to music. No fancy production. No grand arrangement. Just Alan, his soft acoustic guitar, and a melody that has carried generations through sorrow, joy, and grace.
“What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer.”
For Alan, this wasn’t about making a hit record — it was about honoring his roots. The Precious Memories project was born out of love for his parents, Gene and Ruth Jackson, who raised him on gospel hymns in their small Georgia church. What started as a private gift for his mother became one of the most beloved gospel albums in modern country history, eventually going platinum and touching millions of hearts around the world.
“I honestly didn’t plan for it to be released,” Alan later said. “I just wanted Mama to have those old songs she loved. But people began asking for it, and before I knew it, the songs started blessing folks everywhere.”
His rendition of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” is stripped-down and reverent, letting the words speak for themselves. Each line feels lived-in, sung not from performance, but from experience. There’s a sense that Alan isn’t singing to an audience — he’s singing to God.
Fans often say that when they hear the first few notes of the piano and the gentle hum of steel guitar, they’re transported back to Sunday mornings — to church pews, to prayer books, to the feeling of peace that only faith can bring.
“Every time I hear Alan sing that song,” one fan wrote, “I remember my grandmother humming it while washing dishes. It’s not just a song — it’s home.”
When Alan performs the hymn live, the moment always carries a kind of stillness. The crowd — whether it’s a stadium or a chapel — falls silent. Many close their eyes, some raise their hands. And when he reaches the line “Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share?” — you can almost feel the presence of something holy in the room.
The beauty of Alan Jackson’s version lies in its humility. There are no theatrics, no spotlight moments. Just simple truth — the kind of truth that country music and gospel have always shared.
“That’s what these songs are,” Alan explained. “They’re reminders that no matter what you’re going through, you’re not alone. You’ve got a friend who’ll never leave you.”
In a world that feels increasingly chaotic, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” stands as a quiet refuge — a song that calls us back to gratitude, prayer, and trust. And in Alan’s voice, it becomes more than a hymn; it becomes a conversation between the soul and the Savior.
As the final verse fades — “Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer.” — Alan’s gentle delivery leaves a lingering peace, the kind that settles deep and stays.
He doesn’t just sing the song; he lives it.
And maybe that’s why, nearly two decades after its release, this version continues to comfort the brokenhearted and strengthen the faithful. Because when Alan Jackson sings about friendship, faith, and Jesus — he reminds us that the greatest comfort we’ll ever know doesn’t come from this world, but from the One who walks beside us.
🙏 “What a friend we have in Jesus… what a blessing we have in Alan Jackson for reminding us.”