I’d Rather Have Jesus. Composed By Rhea F. Miller (1922) Melody by George Shea.

Rhea F. Miller was the wife of Dr. H. V. Miller,
After her husband's death Mrs. Miller taught piano and traveled all around the area in her little gray Nash coupe, teaching piano.
She had a special mission in life and that was to get into pastors’ homes and teach their kids how to play the piano so they would
have something to contribute to the church when they became adults.
Her father, Martin James Ross, such had been no more than a drunk for some time and would actually steal money from his wife’s purse,
just to get enough money to buy another drink. Mrs. Ross was a good, solid, faithful Christian, though.
And she just kept living her life for Jesus. She would walk to church in any kind of weather- rain, snow, sleet, mud, whatever it was,
just to get there to be with God’s people. Eventually her steadfastness broke through the walls her husband had isolated himself with.
He surrendered to the wooing of God’s Spirit and was wonderfully delivered from the awful bondage of sin.
He stood one night in a service in Brooktondale and began his testimony of how much Jesus meant to him…
“I’d rather have Jesus than all the gold or silver in the whole world. I’d rather have Him than anything this world has to offer.”
Mrs. Miller sat there and heard the words of her father’s testimony and a new song was born- “I’d Rather Have Jesus”.

Shea said he was 23 when he found the song in 1932. Mr. Shea didn’t copyright his version until 1939.
Here he describes (from How Sweet the Sound) the impact that this song had on him:
“One Sunday morning in the family home by the piano he discovered a poem with the title "I'd Rather Have Jesus."
At the age of twenty-three, I was living at home with my parents, continuing to work at Mutual Life Insurance and studying voice.
Going to the piano one Sunday morning, I found a poem waiting for me there. I recognized my mother's handwriting.
She had copied the words of a poem by Mrs. Rhea F. Miller, knowing that I would read the beautiful message, which speaks of choice.
As I read these precious words: "I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause. I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause."
I found myself singing the words in a melody that expressed the feelings of my heart."

Word And Music ✅ https://hymnary.org/text/id_rather_have_jesus_than_silver_or_gold