Who knew this guy was so multi-talented? Listen to Dennis Quaid’s heartfelt ‘What A Friend We Have In Jesus’ live performance at Gaither Studios. It’s a beautiful country; you don’t want to miss the Gospel rendition. 

Dennis is well known for his successful acting career and has been open about his faith in Christ. He’s played in several Christian movies like I Can Only Imagine and On A Wing and A Prayer. It’s so encouraging to see celebrities like Dennis use his platform to point others to Christ. The goal of this performance was to point everyone to the friend we have in Jesus. 

At the start of the video, we see a confident Dennis full of reverence as he strums the first few notes of the hymn. As he sings the first verse of the song, his strong country-style voice carries us straight to the cross and reminds us that we indeed have a friend in Jesus. He’s the one we can run to and lay down our burdens. I love Dennis’ unique voice singing such precious words the most. 

‘What a friend we have in Jesus 

All our sins and griefs to bear 

What a privilege to carry 

Everything to God in prayer’

The band joins in with the piano and sings the harmony as Dennis continues to sing each word full of faith. He reminds everyone with his southern, gritty voice what a privilege it is to know our Savior on a personal level. I love that he chose to sing this particular hymn that has been around since 1855 when a preacher by the name of Joseph Scriven originally wrote it as a poem for his mother. It was later turned into a hymn in 1868. Isn’t it incredible how words stand the test of time when they hit our hearts? Here we are hundreds of years later, grateful to worship a God who is our Savior and our friend. 

As the song comes to an end, Dennis looks out at the crowd and reminds them, “Wherever you are, if you’re in need, if you’re in doubt, if you’re in pain, call out his name. He’ll be listening.” Can I get an amen? No matter what burdens you carry, call out Jesus’ name. He’s listening. 

1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."