March 28, 2019 (Thursday)
The inimitable George W. Truett, prince of preachers of the Twentieth Century, published a sermon, “How to Know Jesus Better,” which was a call to walk more closely with Jesus day by day.
Years ago Stuart Hamblen wrote the song, “Just a Closer Walk with Thee,” and it entered the main stream of popular music. It touched a chord that almost everyone felt. Deep within the hearts of people there is a longing to know God and experience His power and grace.
A long time before that, Fanny Crosby wrote about walking close to the Lord with the hymn, “Close to Thee.” Her song addressed God as our “everlasting portion.” “The Lord is the meat and the drink of our souls. He is our portion, supplying all our necessities, and our cup yielding royal luxuries; our cup in this life, and our inheritance in the life to come” (Charles Spurgeon on Psalm 16:5).
Inspired by the gospel of John, chapter 20, a hymn by C. Austin Miles, “In The Garden,” celebrates joyous companionship with Jesus. “.. He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own..” The song echoes the experience of Mary Magdalene as she met with Jesus.
The gospel song, “More, So Much More,” by Bob Oldenburg, encourages us to walk more closely with Jesus. We always want to have a closer walk with the Lord, discovering new blessings daily.
The hymn that begins with the words, “When we walk with the Lord, in the light of His word,” by John H. Sammis, tells about a walk with the Lord so close we trust Him and obey Him.
Another Fanny Crosby hymn lets us sing, “I long to rise in the arms of faith, and be closer drawn to Thee.”
A fairly new song by Michael W. Smith joins these old hymns of the faith to inspire us to walk closely with the Lord: