Many Christians “talk the talk” but fewer actually “walk the walk.” This hymn meditation reviews the guidance from Scripture that can help us have a closer walk with Jesus.
Like many of our beloved gospel hymns, the exact history of our hymn for meditation is not known. Some say it has its origin in southern African American churches prior to the Civil War. Horace Boyer offers a slightly different account of the history of the hymn. He attributes the words to Kenneth Morris who heard the song being sung by a porter at one of the stops he made on a train trip from Kansas City to Chicago. Morris wrote down the words and music and in 1940 added lyrics and published “Just A Closer Walk with Thee.”
Kenneth Morris was born in New York in 1917.
His music career began early as he performed in church as a youth. He studied at the Manhattan Conservatory of Music and became a professional jazz musician. His band performed at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1934. He was one of the first musicians to use the Hammond organ in gospel music.
He became ill and decided to relocate to Chicago where he died in 1988.
Let’s look at the words to this very inspiring gospel hymn.
Just a closer walk with thee
I am weak but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.
Refrain:
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
Thro’ this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. [Refrain]
When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. [Refrain]
Beyond the lyrics
There are two significant phrases I would like to focus on as we meditate on the great gospel truths in this hymn. Consider what the scripture says about these phrases:
- “Just A Closer Walk with Thee”
- “Grant it, Jesus, is My Plea”
Just a closer walk
The word “walk” occurs 327 times in the ESV Bible translation. In the New Testament, Paul uses this word 30 times in his letters. It occurs 9 times in Acts. One of the most important and powerful uses of “walk” occurs in Ephesians:
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
— Ephesians 4:1
Paul, who was in chains and in prison because of the message he has been preaching, urges the believers in Ephesus to “walk worthy of their calling.” Paul had been preaching that the gospel is available to Jews and Gentiles alike. His message that we are all one in Christ was heresy to the Jews. They believed that they were the chosen people of God. They could not accept that the Gentiles (pagans) could become one with them in Christ. So, they tried to kill Paul and eventually had him arrested and sent to prison.
Undeterred, Paul continued to preach and write about what it means to be “called of God.”
He described this calling in several of his letters. Let’s take a look at a few of these significant verses.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
— Romans 8:29 – 30
For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:7
But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
— 2 Thessalonians 2:13 – 14
. . . who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.
— 2 Timothy 1:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
— 1 Peter 2:9
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
— 1 Peter 5:10
So, Paul is saying that we have been chosen by God for new birth, salvation and eternal life. Since He has performed that miracle in us, we are to act according to what we have become. John Piper describes this condition as “act the miracle.” John MacArthur describes this exhortation as “you were (lost in sin), you are (saved…alive), so live what you are.”
Therefore, a “closer walk with thee” means to live a life that is more and more like the life of Jesus (in accord with God’s commands).
God spoke through the prophet Micah answering the question, “what does the Lord require of thee?” His response was threefold:
- Act justly
- Love mercy
- Walk humbly with your God
Paul makes it clear what this looks like in practical terms in Ephesians chapter 5. In verse eight he says we are to walk in the light. He describes that kind of walk as good, right and true.
- Good (goodness) refers to how we treat others…going back to Jesus’ teachings about loving others and treating them as we would want to be treated.
- Right (righteousness) refers to our standing with God…following His commands because we love Him.
- True (truth) has to do with our own integrity…not hypocrites. We speak the truth, and our actions are true…based on the truth of the Bible.
Paul uses the contrast of light and darkness to convey how dramatic this change is. We were dead; now we are alive. Colossians 2:6 indicates that since we “received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” Later in this chapter, Paul describes how this takes place in our lives.
1. We were circumcised by Christ (not flesh).
2. We were buried with Him and raised with Him.
3. Our trespasses have been forgiven.
4. Our record of debt for our sins has been canceled.
5. Our sins were nailed to the cross and paid for by Jesus.
So, how do I walk with Him?
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea
I can’t do it by myself. The second great truth in our hymn is that we cry out to Him, “grant it, Jesus, is my plea.” As forgiven people in Him, we want to walk with Christ (becoming more like Him) and we acknowledge that we need His grace (assistance) for us to be able to walk in a “manner worthy of our calling.”
Paul describes our situation as he confesses his own difficulty in walking with Jesus in Romans, chapter 7. Even though Paul gave himself totally to the evangelism of the Gentiles as he was commanded by Jesus on the Damascus Road, he still experienced difficulty. These words from Romans 7 should encourage us as we struggle with our walk.
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
— Romans 7: 21-25
Even though Paul was chosen by God, confronted by Jesus Himself on the Damascus Road, experienced an unbelievable conversion, traveled thousands of miles preaching and establishing churches, suffered incredible physical and mental abuse, and was eventually martyred, he still struggled with his walk.
Walking with the Master
Paul needed Jesus to walk that walk. So, too, do we need Him to grant that we can walk closer to Him.
My prayer is that we, by the grace of God, may have a closer walk with Him!
Amen.
Hymns for Him 