Do ministers ever get discouraged and depressed? Of course, they do. Even ones whose natural disposition tends to be on the sunny side. That was the reputation of Pastor Frank E. Graeff, who led a Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. In fact, he was dubbed the “Sunshine Minister” for his cheerful disposition. But the cheer wasn't always there.
Something happened that cast him into discouragement and depression. According to one historical account, he and his wife had a beautiful daughter. In those days—the late 1800s—the girls and women wore floor-length dresses with layers of lace or other frills. Homes at that time were usually heated by wood-burning stoves or fireplaces. His daughter got too close to one such fire and her clothing caught on fire. It happened so fast that nothing could be done, and she burned to death. The grief was more than Pastor Graeff could bear.
One day he meditated on 1 Peter 5:7--”Casting all your cares upon Him, for he cares for you.” He also found comfort in the hymn written 75 years earlier by another who'd known great sorrow, Joseph Scriven. That man, who immigrated to Canada from Ireland, had who lost two fiancees to death. Afterwards, Scriven spent his life in poverty serving his community's poor. Only one hymn survived of Scriven's spiritual journey, a poem he wrote to comfort his own mother across the Atlantic since he couldn't afford to visit her. We know it today as “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”--and it continues: “all our sins and griefs to bear, what a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.”
Besides songs like Scriven's, Pastor Graeff also found comfort in Bible passages like these:
First Peter 5:7: ”Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
Isaiah 55:4: “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-5: “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
His gloom eventually lifted as he took to heart the truth that God truly did care for him, even in his greatest heartache. From that experience he wrote the hymn, “Does Jesus care?” The first verse hints at the depth of his despondency:
Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth and song;
As the burdens press and the cares distress
And the way grows weary and long.
After each of four questioning verses comes the chorus:
O yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary,
The long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
Pastor Graeff loved hymns and wrote thirty-six that were published, but this is the one still best known. It's comforted untold thousands since first publication in 1901. He would live another 18 years after its publication, dying in his 59th year.
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In a similar vein, someone has suggested these steps to “casting” our cares and sorrows about the Lord. Using the acrostic CAST, it goes:
C—Commit the burden to Jesus. He cares more than you can realize.
A—Ask in prayer for the Lord's help.
S—Search scriptures for passages of encouragement
T—Trust Him for comfort and healing. He does care for you.
Sing along with Mark Lowry (of the Gaither Vocal Band) in this meaningful blend of two hymns, including Graeff's:
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