"Nearer, My God, to Thee"

In several movies about the Titanic over half a century, British and American filmmakers accepted the report of the ship’s orchestra bidding farewell with a rendition of “Nearer, My God, to Thee.” Some survivors disputed this; wireless operator Harold Bride, for example, said the band went down playing “Autumn,” an Episcopal hymn. The question still is debated. If the band indeed played “Nearer, My God, to Thee,” which variation of the tune did they play? It seems unlikely the British musicians in their hour of trauma would have rendered the American melody composed by Lowell Mason in 1856.

Regardless, “Nearer, My God, to Thee” certainly would have been appropriate. Interestingly, the hymn was inspired by a biblical episode that occurred far from the ocean depths. Lyricist Sarah F. Adams based the verses on the 28th chapter of Genesis. She called to mind the ordeal of Jacob, fleeing the wrath of his older brother Esau after contriving to steal Esau’s birthright. Sleeping in the wilderness with his head on a pillow of stones, Jacob dreamed of the ladder to heaven and made his historic pact with God. The message of the hymn is timeless: God uses tribulations to draw us closer to Him. “So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee. . . .” In the end, our troubles will be over, the Lord will be there, and that's all that really matters.