Nearer my God, to Thee

Dark water swirled, lapping at the sides of the huge ship that wasn’t supposed to sink, waiting to devour it like the monster it had turned into that night.

A man stood on deck of the ship, gripping the hand of his pregnant wife.

“You have to go. Take care of our baby.” John kissed his wife.

“Come with us.” Tears streamed down her cheek, a hand on his chest, and one on her swollen stomach.

“I have to help the others, do something. There isn’t space.” He squeezed her hand and gave her a soft nudge toward the edge of the ship. She nodded, turning and leaving him, her lips trembling.

The man watched as she was lowered into the lifeboat with the other women and children.

Not enough space for the men.

But his wife, and his child, were safe. He watched as the boat disappeared into the distance, then turned to help others. He guided other women, other children to the lifeboat, making sure that every life that could be spared, would be.

Death drew nearer, an end to the nightmare. The man pulled a cigar from his pocket and watched it glow as the ship was pulled deeper and deeper. As he stood there in the cold, the notes of the music he’d taken for granted in the first-class dining area so many times before now embraced him, filling his heart with hope as the familiar hymn brought tears to his eyes.

Nearer, my God, to Thee…

Despite having more money than he knew what to do with, none of that helped him now. He was on his own, left to face death, his fate, and God, along with the band, bringing comfort to those who faced the end.

This man was John Jacob Astor IV.

We can speculate the scene above. The hope that the song gave him as he watched the people closest to his heart go on ahead without him, living on.

We don’t know for sure what happened during the last moments of John’s life. Some said he enjoyed a cigar as the ship sank, others that he stayed behind to help. Either way, we have to assume that the pain or hope he felt at being near the end are some of the deep emotions stirred by the beloved hymn,

Nearer My God to Thee.

How does this tragic scene tie into the history of the hymn?

Well, this is how many of us remember it. I have to wonder, did Sarah Flower Adams ever imagine how important her song would become, not only to the passengers of the Titanic, but to the band that sank with it? To the many who remembered that tragedy with pain in their hearts for the loss? Chances are, she never did.

She was born in Harlow, Essex, England, in 1805, one hundred and seven years before the Titanic sank. She wrote the hymn on request of her minister, Rev. William Johnson Fox. She was inspired by the story of Jacob’s ladder, a stairway to heaven while fleeing from danger. Perhaps this is the reason so many remember Titanic when we hear this hymn, because those on the Titanic were in great danger, facing death much earlier than they’d expected.

Sarah wrote the lyrics, and her sister, Eliza, wrote the hymn arrangements. The two made many hymns together. Perhaps Sarah’s own struggles helped shape her hymn. She had fragile health, something that affected her deeply, and eventually took her to an early grave.

Sarah Flower Adams died of tuberculosis on August 14, 1848, at the age of 43.

Her hymn lives on, being heard in churches, at funerals, and in stories of the Titanic. An interesting fact is, people can’t be sure that the band of the Titanic played Nearer My God to Thee that horrific day. 

Some speculate it was the hymn Autumn instead. However, it will always be remembered in connection to the tragedy, to moments of sadness, but also moments where hope and a reminder of how close God is to us are needed.

The verses Genesis 28:10-22 are the original inspiration for the hymn.

I’ve put together my own version of Nearer My God to Thee on my channel, Jonathan Violin Hymns. Here it is if you’d like to listen to it.

Lyrics

We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known;
the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His name, He forgets not His own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
so from the beginning the fight we were winning:
the Lord was at our side- the glory be Thine!

We all do extol Thee, Thou leader triumphant,
and pray that Thou still our defender wilt be.
Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!