Elmhurst Hymnal ‎#127

127. The best of friends I have in heaven

1 The best of friends I have in heaven,
The loyal friends on earth are few;
Where hearts to things of earth are given,
Friends cannot be sincere and true;
But firmly I can e’er depend
On Jesus as my dearest friend.

2 The world bestows its greatest favors
On those who can and will repay;
Whenever fortune’s friendship wavers,
Its favors too will pass away;
With Jesus such is not the end,
He always is the dearest friend.

3 He is the friend above all others,
Whose heart and soul is wholly mine;
Whose love is stronger than a brother’s,
And stands beyond the end of time;
Then praise with me unto the end
My Saviour as the dearest friend.

Text Information

• First Line: The best of friends I have in heaven
• Translator: J. H. Horstmann (1908)
• Meter: 9, 8, 9, 8, 8, 8
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1921
• Topic: Children's Day; Christ: Children's Friend; Christ: Our Friend; The Good Shepherd

Tune Information

• Name: [The best of friends I have in heaven]
• Composer: Louise Reichhardt
• Meter: 9, 8, 9, 8, 8, 8