Nearer My God to Thee

2. Nearer My God to Thee

3. Introduction • Written by Sarah Flower Adams, a poet and dramatic stage actress • In 1840 William Fox, her preacher, asked Sarah and her older sister, Eliza, to write a new hymn • The hymn was to be for a new hymnbook he was preparing • And the hymn was to be about the story of Jacob and Esau for a sermon he was preparing • Eliza became ill with tuberculosis and Sarah, while ministering to Eliza, also caught TB • They finished the song (Eliza composing the original music) and it was published in 1841 • Eliza died in 1846, and Sarah died in 1848

4. Overview • The song is about our need and desire to be close to God • The song uses language drawn from the story of Jacob and Esau • Gen 28:10-22 • After Jacob had tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing, and Esau’s threat to kill Jacob • Jacob is leaving home and going to a distant land not knowing what will happen • God sends Jacob a vision of a ladder reaching to heaven with angels going up and down • And God assures Jacob that He will be with him

5. Stanza 1 • Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. • Ps 73:28 • Man should desire to be closer to God • God wants man to draw near (James 4:7-10) • That which brings us closer to God is often a difficult burden (Mt 16:24-27) • Think of the trials Jacob was heading into • As we draw closer, we sing praises to God (Ps 28:6-7) • And our songs should, in turn, help us draw closer to Him

6. Stanza 2 • Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,Darkness be over me, my rest a stone.Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God to Thee. • Jacob is the wanderer mentioned • Some change it to “a wanderer” making it more generic • He was fleeing Esau’s wrath, didn’t have a home, it grew dark, and he rested his head on a stone (Gen 28) • We, too, are wanderers here (Heb 11:13-16) • We, too, live in a world of darkness and trouble (Job 14:1-2) • We, too, should hope and desire (dream) to be nearer to God (Rom 8:23-25)

7. Stanza 3 • There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n;All that Thou sendest me, in mercy given;Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee. • Another reference to Jacob’s dream of the ladder stretched to heaven • Asking God to help us find the way to draw closer (John 14:6) • That Way is Christ, like a ladder between heaven and earth • That Way is provided by God’s mercy • As the angels on the ladder showed Jacob the way to approach God • The angels rejoice when we obey God and come to Him through His Son (Luke 15:7, 10)

8. Stanza 4 • Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee. • Jacob awoke after his dream and praised God • We, too, should awake with praises (Ps 5:1-3, 108:1-4) • Jacob used the very stone of his discomfort to set up a pillar as a memorial which he called Bethel , “house of God” (Gen 28:16-22) • Likewise, we should look at our trials as something that can strengthen our faith and bring us closer to God (James 1:2-4)

9. Stanza 5 • Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly,Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. • Or if, unlike Jacob, we do notlive through our trials, but rather die • We will not see death as a sorrow, but rather a release to fly home to heaven (Phil 1:19-23) • Forgetting those worries and cares of earthly life • Note: the song does not have to mean we will have wings after death, but could be figurative or refer to the wings of angels carrying us (Lk 16:22)

10. A song of comfort and hope • After President James Garfield’s assassination, the band played “Nearer, My God to Thee” as he was buried (1881) • After President William McKinley was shot, his last words were, “Nearer, my God, to Thee, e’en though it be a cross,’ has been my constant prayer.” • At 3:30pm September 13, 1901, after 5 minutes of silence across the nation (and even in London), bands everywhere played “Nearer, My God to Thee” as his funeral procession commenced

11. A song of comfort and hope • Jan 21, 1906, the SS Valencia struck a reef in dark stormy waters off Canada’s west coast • Several attempts were made to send word ashore using the 7 life boats aboard (only 2 boats made it ashore, and a third was rescued at sea) • The crew of the 2nd boat ashore was reported as “well-nigh crazed” by their last sight of the ruined Valencia with the female passengers and children lining the rails singing “Nearer My God to Thee” • 37 men survived, 136 people died (including all the women and children)

12. A song of comfort and hope • April 15, 1912, as the RMS Titanic sank after colliding with an iceberg • The band is reported to have played “Nearer My God to Thee” • 1,517 died (including all the band members), 706 survivors • On Nov 12, 2006, upon being told he was now the longest-lived president (passing Ronald Reagan), Gerald Ford said

13. A song of comfort and hope • On Nov 12, 2006, upon being told he was now the longest-lived president (passing Ronald Reagan), Gerald Ford said, • “The length of one’s days matters less than the love of one’s family and friends. I thank God for the gift of every sunrise and, even more, for all the years. He has blessed me with Betty and the children; with our extended family and the friends of a lifetime. That includes countless Americans who, in recent months, have remembered me in their prayers. Your kindness touches me deeply. May God bless you all and may God bless America.” • He died 45 days later • As his casket was removed from the hearse, the band played, “Nearer My God To Thee”

14. Conclusion • Sarah Adams wrote the words • Not only to meet the requirements of a new hymnbook and to accompany a sermon about Jacob • But to comfort her dying sister • Little did she know it would give comfort and hope to so many • Do you want to draw nearer to God? • Then come in obedient submission to His word