Today’s song is ‘Just A Closer Walk with Thee’. This a traditional gospel song that has been performed and recorded by many artists. Performed as either an instrumental or vocal, ‘A Closer Walk’ is perhaps the most frequently played number in the hymn and dirge section of traditional New Orleans jazz funerals. The title and lyrics of the song allude to the Biblical passage from 2 Corinthians 5:7 which states, "We walk by faith, not by sight" and James 4:8, "Come near to God and he will come near to you."
The precise author of ‘A Closer Walk’ was unknown until recently. Circumstantial evidence strongly suggested it dated back to southern African/American churches of the nineteenth century, possibly even prior to the Civil War, as some personal African American histories recall ‘slaves singing as they worked in the fields a song about walking by the Lord's side.’
“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.”
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I was introduced to this song about one month ago by my Christian Facebook friend, Joseph Newns from Warrington. I instantly loved it and learned it immediately. This is the first time I have sung the song, and although I have had to make a few cord and key changes to suit my voice, I hope that you enjoy it. The song is dedicated to my friend, Joseph Newns.
One of the things about the life of anyone who tries to follow the right path, the closer one can walk in the steps of Christ, the less backtracking one ever needs to do in the future, and the more comfortable one feels in their own skin. This is certainly the precise experience that the past seventy years have meant to me.
Each year has brought me closer to my Maker. Each good deed, witness or enacted by me are what gives me faith in humanity and brings me closer to my God, just as every good person I encounter remind me of God’s goodness. Last, but not least, my relationship with my wife, Sheila, and the love she has bestowed on me since we first met nine years ago has given me a spiritual dimension that I had previously found absent in my relationships with all the women in my life.
Have a good day, Joseph and thank you for having come into my life along with all my other loving Facebook friends.
Love and peace Bill xxx