The sinking of the Titanic on April 15th, 1912 is one of the most memorable and tragic events of the 20th Century. The Titanic was dubbed “the unsinkable ship” after it was built. When the Titanic sailed from Belfast, Ireland, en route to New York on its maiden voyage, no one dreamed that this mighty ship would sink to the bottom of the Atlantic. As it crossed through the frigid waters of the North Atlantic, the ship infamously struck a giant iceberg at 11:40 pm, and by 2:20 am was entirely engulfed in water. Of the 2,224 people on board, 1,500 perished. Decades after the Titanic sank, eyewitnesses recounted what this fateful night was like. Those who made it on the lifeboats remarked that as the ship sank, they could hear screaming, but once the ship went under, there was suddenly an eerie calm.
The Brave Musicians
In the midst of the chaos, many brave men voluntarily gave up their seats on the lifeboat to women and children. But maybe the most courageous and sacrificial were a small group of men who don’t typically come to mind when one thinks of courage: musicians. As the ship sank, the band on the Titanic showed incredible bravery as chaos unfolded around them. As they witnessed people panicking while facing impending death, the leader of the eight-member band, Wallace Henry Hartley, a violinist, encouraged the band to play to calm the people down. Many eyewitness survivors attested to the truthfulness of this story. Remarkably, his violin was later found and is now on display at the Titanic Museum. His music pouch with his songs inside are also on display.
The Final Hymn
Per eyewitness testimony, the final song played as the ship went down was the hymn, Nearer, my God, to Thee. This hymn was written by Sarah Flower Adams, and the tune was produced by Bethany Mason in 1841. The song they chose was an appropriate one and highlights the Christian influence of the time. The hymn references Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28 where the presence of God was shown to him as a ladder came down from heaven. It’s a song proclaiming the presence of God during times of trouble, longing for his nearness, and describing the believer’s passage from this life to the next.
Nearness in Times of Trouble
The first stanza sings,
Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee! E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me, still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to thee; nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
This stanza compares the believer’s experience with that of Christ. During Christ’s greatest hour of suffering on the cross, he cried out to His Father in Heaven (Matthew 27:46), and so too should His people to do during the trials and tribulations that they face (Psalm 46:1). This was a line that certainly would have comforted the Christians onboard.
The second stanza continues this theme,
Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down, darkness be over me, my rest a stone; yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to thee; nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
As the passengers entered the darkness of the night just as Jacob did as he went to sleep in the wilderness, so they had the opportunity to experience the sweet presence of God. This would resonate with the believers on board who, during the sinking, even though all hope for survival was lost in the darkness of night, could still cling to God’s nearness.
Preparing to Enter God’s Presence
Then, the third stanza looks ahead to heaven:
There let the way appear, steps unto heaven; all that thou sendest me, in mercy given; angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to thee; nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee.
It goes without saying that these words would have comforted the believers on the Titanic. Jacob’s experience with God and angels was not the end of his life, but the passengers on board certainly would have understood this as their impending entrance into heaven where God and angels dwell. How comforting it would have been to sing the words that would soon become a reality, where faith would no longer be their sight, but they would truly see God.
The closing of the hymn explicitly mentions a believer’s entrance into heaven with the words:
Or if, on joyful wing cleaving the sky, sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I fly, still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to thee; nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
These words echo the words of Moses in the Psalms, The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. (Psalm 90:10). Once a believer leaves this world, he flies away to his heavenly dwelling (2 Corinthians 5:2). Those on the Titanic singing these words were minutes away from their transfer to their eternal home.
The Peace that Surpasses Understanding
When we read the apostle Paul write that believers are able to have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:6), it is crisis moments like the night of the Titanic disaster when these words resonate the loudest. God used the musicians on the Titanic to bring His calming peace. I obviously don’t know how I will leave this world, but I have pondered it. I can’t think of a better way to go than to be surrounded by loved ones and listening to a calming, God-glorifying hymn, preparing to enter the presence of God. In an unlikely setting, the believers on the Titanic were given peace because of eight brave men, knowing they were going to die, took courage (Mark 15:43), kept their composure, and played this rich hymn that many believers all around the world still sing today.
Next time you sing Nearer My God to Thee, remember Hartley and the seven brave men who played alongside them as the Titanic sank and they left this world. May the same be said of us who travel through this earthly pilgrimage on our way to eternity.
