- "Nearer, still nearer, close to Thy heart, Draw me, my Savior, so precious Thou art; Fold me, O fold me close to Thy breast, Shelter me safe in that haven of rest, Shelter me safe in that haven of rest.
- "Nearer, still nearer, nothing I bring, Naught as an off'ring to Jesus my King, Only my sinful, now contrite heart; Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart, Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart.
- "Nearer, still nearer, Lord, to be Thine; Sin, with its follies, I gladly resign, All of it pleasures, pomp and its pride; Give me but Jesus, my Lord crucified, Give me but Jesus, my Lord crucified."
- "Nearer, still nearer, while life shall last, Till safe in glory my anchor is cast, Thro' endless ages, ever to be Nearer, my Savior, still nearer to Thee, Nearer, my Savior, still nearer to Thee."
(Words and Music by Lelia N. Morris)
First of all, as we go by our Prime Directive "checkoff list", we can see that this is 1) a hymn as a song of praise and supplication that teaches/reminds (admonishes) us of our Lord' willingness to bless, and 2) a spiritual song that it is intended to cultivate feelings of spiritual devotion.
This is one of perhaps a thousand or so hymns and songs that Mrs. Lelia Morris (1862-1929) wrote in her lifetime. Encouragement for her to write hymns came from Henry Gilmour who penned the words to the song "The Haven of Rest". Even when her sight had grown dim almost to the point of blindness, she was still composing more songs, aided by a 28-foot blackboard (complete with musical staffs) that her family had crafted for her to continue her work.
Every verse begins with the supplication which is also the title of the song. In many places in God's Word, the concept of drawing near to God is not simply a good idea: it is the ideal! Asaph the psalmist says, "But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works" (Ps 73:28). James even commands that we "[d]raw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8). Paul in his letter to the Ephesians even mentions how Jesus drew us near to Him: "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Eph 2:13). King David even gives a good hint about how one may draw near to the Lord: "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth" (Ps 145:18). It should also be noted, as has been mentioned in earlier commentaries, it is possible, once one has drawn near to God, to unfortunately draw away from Him. But hope is not lost, because return is possible, as the prophet says, "Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 1:3)."
[Given the nature of drawing near to God, such a topic demands focus in its own commentary outside of hymn topics; once this work is complete, I shall provide a link to it.]
This is one of perhaps a thousand or so hymns and songs that Mrs. Lelia Morris (1862-1929) wrote in her lifetime. Encouragement for her to write hymns came from Henry Gilmour who penned the words to the song "The Haven of Rest". Even when her sight had grown dim almost to the point of blindness, she was still composing more songs, aided by a 28-foot blackboard (complete with musical staffs) that her family had crafted for her to continue her work.
Every verse begins with the supplication which is also the title of the song. In many places in God's Word, the concept of drawing near to God is not simply a good idea: it is the ideal! Asaph the psalmist says, "But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works" (Ps 73:28). James even commands that we "[d]raw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8). Paul in his letter to the Ephesians even mentions how Jesus drew us near to Him: "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Eph 2:13). King David even gives a good hint about how one may draw near to the Lord: "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth" (Ps 145:18). It should also be noted, as has been mentioned in earlier commentaries, it is possible, once one has drawn near to God, to unfortunately draw away from Him. But hope is not lost, because return is possible, as the prophet says, "Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 1:3)."
[Given the nature of drawing near to God, such a topic demands focus in its own commentary outside of hymn topics; once this work is complete, I shall provide a link to it.]
In the first verse, it begins, "Nearer, still nearer, close to Thy heart, Draw me, my Savior, so precious Thou art; Fold me, O fold me close to Thy breast." It may seem odd to note that if one holds somebody "close to [one's] breast" that they would be "close to [that person's] heart". And yet, being close to one's breast was considered a place of honor in Bible times. The disciple whom Jesus loved was in this position at table at His last supper (John 13:23). It was where Lazarus was found (in Abraham's bosom) after the angels took his spirit after death (Luke 16:19ff) in stark contrast both to the position he held in life as well as the position of the rich man who entered torment upon death. It is also interesting to note the end of the first verse of the song: "Shelter me safe in that haven of rest". In the original versions of this song, "haven of rest" was in quotes as a reference to what was then a popular hymn, "The Haven of Rest", written by Henry Gilmour.
The second verse reads,"Nearer, still nearer, nothing I bring, Naught as an off'ring to Jesus my King, Only my sinful, now contrite heart; Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart...." This is in reference to King David's writing in the 51st Psalm: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise (Ps 51:17)." As we saw this verse mentioned in "Have Thine Own Way, Lord", it may be time for this author to note any other instances of its use (three instances make a trend line, after all).
The third verse begins by admitting a desire to put away sin. "Nearer, still nearer, Lord, to be Thine; Sin, with its follies, I gladly resign, All of it pleasures, pomp and its pride." Of course, the pleasures of sin are fleeting (Heb. 11:24-25). And as I look up the definition of the word "pomp", sin does seem to vainly display it's alleged dignity or importance. Also, pride seems to be one of the main things that keeps many from giving up sin. And as James and Peter have both told us, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Paul even compares our putting away of sin to crucifying the "old self" of sin. "We know that our old self was crucified with him [Jesus] in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin (Rom 6:6,7)[Verse 7 seems to be a good set up for the final verse of this song, as well!]." The final line of this verse seems to allude to an Isaac Stern hymn, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross". "Give me but Jesus, my Lord crucified" is reminiscent of the second verse of Stern's hymn, "Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast Save in the death of Christ my Lord." This of course alludes to Paul's statement to the Galatians:"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal 6:14)."
The final verse looks forward to the day when one's proximity to the Lord is at it's peak ("Nearer, still nearer, while life shall last..."). Many times we hear people say, "At least I'm walking on top of the grass, sure beats the alternative!" Paul the apostle obviously disagreed with this notion as he told the church in Philippi: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phlp 1:21)." Besides this, as the psalmist tells us, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints (Ps 116:15)." It is also interesting to note how the next line in this verse is phrased: "Till safe in glory my anchor is cast." This seems to allude to Mr. Gilmour's song again because the first line of the chorus says, "I've anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest...." And of course, the last half of this verse speaks of the joy that awaits on the other side while "Thro' endless ages" we are "ever to be Nearer, my Savior, still nearer to Thee...," thus looking forward to the gain we have upon death, if we've been faithful, as we mentioned Paul's thoughts on this earlier.
The third verse begins by admitting a desire to put away sin. "Nearer, still nearer, Lord, to be Thine; Sin, with its follies, I gladly resign, All of it pleasures, pomp and its pride." Of course, the pleasures of sin are fleeting (Heb. 11:24-25). And as I look up the definition of the word "pomp", sin does seem to vainly display it's alleged dignity or importance. Also, pride seems to be one of the main things that keeps many from giving up sin. And as James and Peter have both told us, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Paul even compares our putting away of sin to crucifying the "old self" of sin. "We know that our old self was crucified with him [Jesus] in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin (Rom 6:6,7)[Verse 7 seems to be a good set up for the final verse of this song, as well!]." The final line of this verse seems to allude to an Isaac Stern hymn, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross". "Give me but Jesus, my Lord crucified" is reminiscent of the second verse of Stern's hymn, "Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast Save in the death of Christ my Lord." This of course alludes to Paul's statement to the Galatians:"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal 6:14)."
The final verse looks forward to the day when one's proximity to the Lord is at it's peak ("Nearer, still nearer, while life shall last..."). Many times we hear people say, "At least I'm walking on top of the grass, sure beats the alternative!" Paul the apostle obviously disagreed with this notion as he told the church in Philippi: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phlp 1:21)." Besides this, as the psalmist tells us, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints (Ps 116:15)." It is also interesting to note how the next line in this verse is phrased: "Till safe in glory my anchor is cast." This seems to allude to Mr. Gilmour's song again because the first line of the chorus says, "I've anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest...." And of course, the last half of this verse speaks of the joy that awaits on the other side while "Thro' endless ages" we are "ever to be Nearer, my Savior, still nearer to Thee...," thus looking forward to the gain we have upon death, if we've been faithful, as we mentioned Paul's thoughts on this earlier.
As always, I welcome your thoughts…
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