People gathered for worship one evening in 1906 in a Presbyterian church in Philadelphia. There was opportunity for people in the service to testify to their faith in Christ and share experiences of how they came to believe in him. One woman spoke of the influence of a single letter by Dr. Miller during a time of recent trouble and distress. The pastor leading the service, aware of his colleague’s letter-writing prowess, asked the assembly for a show of hands of those who had ever received a note of encouragement from Dr. Miller. Hundreds of hands went up. James Russell (J. R.) Miller (1840-1912), who served churches in Pennsylvania and Illinois and wrote for the Presbyterian Board of Publication, was fastidious about writing notes to people. He made it his policy to write one note of encouragement every single day. He sent letters to people he didn’t know, like the streetcar conductor or the elevator boy, and notes to people in his church who were sick, struggling with temptation or despair, leaving home, or grieving. His biographer chose to title the story of J.R.’s life, Jesus and I Are Friends, borrowed from a chapter in J.R.’s Book of Comfort. J.R. saw ministry as friendship with God and making friends for God. He wrote, “Christ is our Friend. That means everything we need. No want can be unsupplied. No sorrow can be uncomforted. No evil can overmaster us. For time and eternity, we are safe. Consciousness that Christ is our friend, and we are His should deaden every evil thought, quell every bitter feeling, sweeten every emotion, and make all our life holy and true.” Jesus told his disciples, “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants…I call you friends” (John 15.14-15). What a stunning thought that the God of the universe desires friendship with us. Why would God want to be friends with us? Lord only knows!
J.R. also wrote Family Prayers for Thirteen Weeks to cultivate deeper prayer among people in his church. A portion of a morning prayer by J.R. follows here: