“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you …” James 4:8
N is for nigh. Nigh means near in place, time, or relationship. There are things in life that we should be close to and there are things in life that we should not be close to. The most important thing that we can choose to be close to is God. Without a close relationship with God, all else truly pales in comparison.
In our Christian lives, there are going to be times that we are closer to God than at other times. What determines this? Umm … ME!? Yes, me! When I feel far from God, guess who moved? Not God … I did! If you are going through a season in your life where you feel far from God, you probably are. But, guess who moved? That’s right … YOU did!
I love hymns and there are so many good ones … each one telling their own story. The hymn that I want to share with you today is entitled, “Nearer, Still Nearer.” It was written by Lelia (Mrs. C. H.) Morris (1862-1929). Lelia was born in Ohio and from what little I found on her background, it looked like she lived her entire life in Ohio. She enjoyed writing hymns as she did her housework … now, that was true multi-tasking! When she became blind at the age of 52, her family built her a 28-foot-long blackboard to write the hymns on that she composed. It is said that, in all, she wrote over 1,000 texts.1
I imagine this hymn held more meaning than some to Lelia because, as we saw in our devotion yesterday, it is in our storms and the dark of night (aka her blindness) that we find ourselves closest drawn to our Savior.
V1: “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.”
V2: “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.”
V3: “Nearer, still nearer — Lord, to be Thine, Sin with wits follies I gladly resign — All of its pleasures, pomp and its pride; Give me but Jesus, my Lord crucified, Give me but Jesus, my Lord crucified.”
V4: Nearer, still nearer — while life shall last, Till safe in glory my anchor is cast; Through endless ages, ever to be, Nearer, my Savior, still nearer to Thee, Nearer, my Savior, still nearer to Thee.”
I do not know about you, my friend, but this hymn speaks to my heart in such a keen way. It makes me want to be the writer of this hymn as my heart cries out with those very words … “nearer, still nearer!” I desire, not just a one-time moment, but a continual movement nearer and nearer to my Lord!
Lesson Objective: To understand the desire of God for us to draw nigh to Him. Does your heart cry out as the hymn-writer’s does in this hymn?
Did you pass or did you fail?
1http://hymnary.org/text/nearer_still_nearer_close_to_thy_heart