Nearer, My God, to Thee

BIBLE REFERENCE:

And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set;
and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that
place to sleep.
And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven:
and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:

And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee. Genesis 28:10-22

HYMN HISTORY:

Students of hymnology generally considered “Nearer, My God, to Thee“ written by Sarah Flower Adams to be the finest hymn ever written by any woman hymn writer. Sarah was born on February 22, 1805, at Harlow, England. She died at the early age of forty-three of tuberculosis. Sarah was widely known for her many literary accomplishments, though her delicate health was always a handicap for her many ambitions. In 1834 she married John Brydges Adams, a prominent inventor and civil engineer, and made their home in London. Sarah's talent, charm and exalted character always made a deep impression upon all who knew her.

Sarah’s sister, Eliza, was also a talented lady. Being an accomplished musician, she wrote the music for many
of Sarah’s hymn texts. One day their Pastor, the Rev. William Johnson Fox, asked these two exceptional sisters
if they would aid him in the preparation of a new hymnal he was compiling for the congregation. The two sisters soon became busily involved and committed to this project. Together, they contributed thirteen texts and sixty-two new tunes.

One day the two sisters were busily involved with their pastor in completing the final details for the new hymnal soon to be published, The pastor remarked that he wished he could find a hymn to conclude a sermon he was preparing on the account of Jacob and Esau as recorded in Genesis 28: 10-22. Sister Eliza interrupted enthusiastically, “Sarah, now there’s a excellent idea for a new hymn for our hymnal. Why don’t you write your own hymn about Jacob’s dream?”

“Splendid!” replied the pleased pastor. Later that day, after spending much time in studying the Genesis account, and feeling the dramatic movement of this Old Testament narrative, Sarah began to write. Soon she had versified the complete Biblical story in the five stanzas still in use today.

The text for this hymn is based on Genesis 28 and the dream that Jacob had in the desert when he was fleeing as a fugitive from his home and his brother Esau. Upon awakening from his dream and seeking the ascending and descending angels, Jacob called the place “Bethel” - “The House of God.”

“Nearer, my God, to Thee” was one of the hymns included in that new hymnal published in 1841. The hymn was introduced in America three years later in 1844. But it did not gain popularity for twelve years until it was wedded with the present tune, “Bethany,” composed especially for the text by Lowell Mason, often known as the father of American and school music.

The sixth stanza that we have include was written by Edward Henry Bickersteth, Jr., an honor graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge, Dean of Gloucester; and Bishop of Exeter (1885-1900). He edited three hymnals, and wrote at least 30 hymns of his own.

Many very interesting incidents have been associated with the use of this hymn. During the Johnstown City Flood of May 21, 1889, a railroad train rushed into to the swirling waters. One car was turned on end, and in it was imprisoned, beyond the hope rescue, a woman on her way to be a missionary in the far East. The young lady spoke calmly to the awe stricken multitude gazing helplessly at the tragedy. Then she prayed and finally sang the hymn, "Nearer, my God to Thee,” in which she was joined by the sorrowing, sympathizing crowd. As she sang, she was ushered into the presence of her Savior the Lord Jesus Christ whom she loved and desired to serve.

This hymn has also been the favorite hymn of many of the world’s great leaders. President William McKinley claimed this as his favorite hymn, and it is said he was heard to whisper its words as he drew his last breath. The hymn was widely sung and played at his funeral and at memorial services held throughout America in 1901.

There is also the well known account of the sinking of the ill-fated ship, The Titanic, as it plunged into the icy waters of the Atlantic in 1912, sending 1500 people into eternity while the ship’s band played the strains of this hymn.

One would have to conclude that this hymn has been greatly used of God to bring spiritual comfort and blessings to many of His people everywhere. It expresses so aptly the common yearning in the heart’s of men to know God and to experience His nearness and victory.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The inspiration for this hymn was Genesis 28: 10-22.

Jacob had just left home for the first time. He had just left his family. The brother he had grown up with now wanted to kill him. His mother told him to leave home because of that. His father’s health was ailing.

So, he set out, not sure of what was in store for him. Years later, he would refer to these days as “the day of my distress” Genesis 35:3

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.

For all of his life, Jacob had been surrounded by his family, by servants, by animals, by good food, by a life filled with all his heart desired. Now, for the first time, he was alone, with nothing. He found a stone to use as a pillow and slept on the ground. One can only imagine how many tears this young man, suddenly so alone in the world, shed on that stone as he fell asleep.

And that’s when God gave him His promise. "I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest.” Genesis 28:15

Jacob did something right. He woke up, and then he took the stone on which he was sleeping, and he built an altar. He made a vow. He vowed that if the Lord did all He said, then the Lord would be his God, and the stone he set up would be God’s house (Beth-El), and he would dedicate a tenth of all he was given to the Lord.

Perhaps you’re in a similar situation. If you’re not, you will be, probably many times in your life. And when you are, read these words again. But instead of reading the ones that God said to Jacob, read the ones that His son says to you:

And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:20

If you’ve encountered a tremendous loss, a loss beyond what words can express, nothing anyone says or does can bring what you’ve lost back. But where to go from here is your choice.

You have two choices. You can continue to wallow in self-pity and regret. You can dwell on the past, trying whatever you can do to conjure back a past which is gone forever.

Or you can wake up, and remember what it is that the Lord told you. And from there, you can make a new commitment to trust Him. You can take your stony griefs and raise your own Bethel, the house of God, in your heart.

There’s an interesting thing about enduring terrible loss. Prayer suddenly becomes a lot easier. Why? Because it’s only in the difficult times that we realize that only God has the ability to understand us and help us. Like Jacob who took that heavy stone on which he laid his head, take your griefs and lay them before God.

Use them to build that altar-that marker in the ground which marks the first day of a new commitment to trust Him for all your needs.

No matter what has happened in the past, no matter what mistakes you’ve made, or losses you’ve endured…there’s one thing you can do. Make a new commitment. Pray a prayer like Jacob did. Ask God to watch over you. Ask God to give you what you need to sustain you.

Years later, Jacob returned to that same spot. Only this time, he returned married with his children, having been blessed immeasurably by God. It was here that he looked back and thought back to that day as a young man when he slept alone on this ground. He knew that God had indeed been with him wherever he had gone. And it was not long after that when Jacob was renamed Israel by God, and that he heard from God Himself how vast his descendants would be, and how from him nations and kings would come.

Whatever state you’re in today, sing this hymn. Think of how despite the loss you’ve gone through, that out of your stony griefs, God is waiting to hear that prayer from you. That prayer that turns to him for help. That prayer that says that you wish nothing more than to be Nearer to Him and to have Him be with you… from your own Bethel to the end of the world.