Draw Me Nearer

Words: Frances Jane (“Fanny”) Crosby (b. March 24, 1820; d. Feb. 12, 1915)
Music: William Howard Doane (Feb. 3, 1832; d. Dec. 23, 1915)

Note: I don’t currently have an article specifically on Draw Me Nearer (sometimes called I Am Thine, O Lord, using the opening line). The link below to Mr. Doane will tell you a little about the composer of the tune.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Howard Doane was a frequent collaborator with Fanny Crosby, writing tunes for such still-popular hymns of hers as:

• Safe in the Arms of Jesus
• Rescue the Perishing
• Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour
• Saviour, More Than Life to Me
• Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross

Not only did the two servants of God work together many times. They were also good friends, and Fanny greatly enjoyed visiting the Doane family in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Christian fellowship enjoyed at such times was a rich blessing for all.

It was on one such occasion in 1875 that the hymn, Draw Me Nearer, was written. They were sitting on the front porch of the Doane home, in the late afternoon, watching a beautiful sunset, described for Fanny, in her blindness, by the others. Howard Doane began to speak of a sense of the nearness of God in the still of the evening. While he was speaking, some lines of verse leaped into Fanny’s mind. She asked her friend if he’d write them down while she dictated them. The poem is our hymn. The next day, Mr. Doane composed a tune to fit.

This hymn beautifully answers the “What now?” question of the Christian life. In the opening words we have the believer’s confession: “I am Thine, O Lord.” So, what’s next? What should be the aspirations and goals of the child of God?

First (1), when we come to know the Lord, by faith, there’s a desire to be in closer fellowship with Him. We say, with the psalmist, “It is good for me to draw near to God” (Ps. 73:28). So, “Let us draw near with a truth heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22). We have this certain promise from the Word of God: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (Jas. 4:8).

In this richness of fellowship with the Lord, we will also have a desire to serve Him more effectively, and we’ll dedicate ourselves to His service, for His greater glory (2). To dedicate or consecrate, in a Christian context, means to be set apart for God, to be reserved for His use. In practical terms, His will becomes our will. We will awaken with the thought expressed so simply by missionary author Elizabeth Elliot: “I have only one thing to do today–the will of God.”

In our walk with God we’ll have a growing delight in the privilege of prayer (3). However, there will be an increasing sense that there is more and better yet to come, a richer fellowship in heaven than we could ever know down here (4). “Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (I Cor. 13:12).

(1) I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer blessèd Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessèd Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Questions:

1. Is there something in your life, or your family’s life that it would be meaningful to specifically dedicate to the Lord? If so, how will you go about this?
2. How will the life of a dedicated Christian differ from that of one who’s lukewarm about the things of Christ?

Links:

• 23 December 1915 – William Doane Died
• Draw Me Nearer (The Cyber Hymnal)