The Greatest Walk

         I wish that somebody would give me a dollar every time the Lord brings an old hymn to my mind, just when I need it, and then for days it continues to play in my mind.  I would give all of that money to our Awana Global Outreach project where every $10 given allows one new boy or girl to attend an Awana club somewhere in the world.  That could be quite a contribution.  Do I have any takers?
          It happened again very recently when a friend sent me an e-mail telling me how the old hymn "Jesus Will Walk With Me" came back to her.  I did some checking and found that in 2013 I included this in my hymn blog.  And the reminder of this old hymn, written in 1922 by Haldor Lillenas, flooded my mind for days.  Again, just at a time when I needed its message.

(1)    Jesus will walk with me down thru the valley,
Jesus will walk with me over the plain;
When in the shadow or when in the sunshine,
If He goes with me I shall not complain.
Jesus will walk with me,
He will talk with me;
He will walk with me;
In joy or in sorrow, today and tomorrow,
I know He will walk with me.

Life is not easy.  There are some days when everything seems to go right.  But there are times when things go wrong and the path is rough and we seem to walk in the shadow  Unfortunately, if you are like me, contrary to the words of the hymn, we do complain.  But He is with us in times of both joy and sorrow and He has promised never to leave us. And He doesn't.  How much better the rough path is when we recognize His presence and we walk together. May we never forget who our companion is.

2)   Jesus will walk with me when I am tempted,

Giving me strength as my need may demand;

When in affliction His presence is near me,

I am upheld by His almighty hand.

Jesus will walk with me,

He will talk with me;

He will walk with me;

In joy or in sorrow, today and tomorrow,

I know He will walk with me.

And the temptations do come.  Sometimes we are tempted to complain.  Sometimes we are drawn to sin.  Sometimes we gossip or tell "white lies".  Sometimes we just think things that are wrong or go to places we shouldn't go to. I think that temptations in our mind are some of the most difficult to handle.  I often pray "let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight".  But we are told that He was tempted in all things like we are, yet without sin,  And He provides the strength we need to face temptation.  And in times of failure or even affliction, His almighty hand is there to lift us up.

(3)   Jesus will walk with me, guarding me ever,

Giving me victory thru storm and thru strife;

He is my Comforter, Counselor, Leader,

Over the uneven journey of life.

Jesus will walk with me,

He will talk with me;

He will walk with me;

In joy or in sorrow, today and tomorrow,

I know He will walk with me.

I love the truth of verse 3. He is our guard and we may never know all the ways He has protected us. He is our Comforter and I have often experienced His peace and comfort.  He is our Counselor providing us with the wisdom that we need here on earth.  And He is our Leader no matter how uneven or difficult our journey.  At times I wish that He would guide us as He did His children in the wilderness, with a pillar of fire and and a pillar of cloud.  But He does guide us more silently through His Word and by His Spirit.  What a blessing.

4)    Jesus will walk with me in life's fair morning,

And when the shadows of evening must come;

Living or dying, He will not forsake me.

Jesus will walk with me all the way home.

Jesus will walk with me,

He will talk with me;

He will walk with me;

In joy or in sorrow, today and tomorrow,

I know He will walk with me.

But this verse may be the toughest truth we need to face.  While we haven't yet walked the valley of death ourselves, we have watched others do it. And we dread watching our loved ones take this journey. It hurts.  And our day is coming and nobody can avoid it.  And while hopefully we have the assurance of that better life ahead, nobody looks forward to the shadows of evening. For some they might last just for a few hours but for others they go on for years.  Believers face that time with both fear and anticipation.  But the beauty of that final journey is that our Lord will not forsake us and He will walk with us all the way home.  Yes, I know He will walk with me.

          Now the key to all of this is making it more than head knowledge, even though that is important.  It needs to be heart knowledge built on our personal experience and our relationship with the Lord. Maybe you don't know this hymn, (you can hear it at Jesus Will Walk) but hopefully you know the experience of walking with the Lord in joy or in sorrow, today and tomorrow.  How else can we make this journey as pilgrims in this foreign land.  Thank you Lord!