By Pastor Naomi Mitchell
For the Carter County Times
I remember years ago having an 8 track (lol) of Elvis Presly singing the song, “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.” The refrain goes like this, “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.” The second verse, “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.” The third verse says, “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.”
According to Wikipedia, this song was written and published around 1885. The title and the words of this 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.” It is one of the most popular hymns played by brass bands. (I can just hear Pastor John Bunn playing his brass!) The song gained popularity both in print and in recordings during the 1940s.
Listening to your favorite artist sing this song, or just reading the lyrics, paints a clear picture of just how frail and fragile life can be and is sometimes. Truly, we need “just a closer walk” with the Lord every day. He is our strength and our joy. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we need even before we ask. We can be truly satisfied if we walk with Jesus, knowing He is right by our side; or rather we are by His side.
The Word of God in 2 Corinthians 12:10 says, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” God wants to increase our faith and dependence on Him to show us how much He loves us, and what He can do.
So, God, in His grace, mercy and love brings us to a point of weakness so that we have nothing left to do, but trust that He’s got us. God was pressing Paul to have confidence in His strength through the fact of his weakness.
The weaker we are, the more dependent we become. God wants us to depend upon Him, so He will bring us to the point of that dependence, not because He hates us, but because He loves us and wants to show us what He can and will do for us. The power of God is put on display when we get ourselves out of the way. A lot of times it’s in desperation when we finally call out to God to help us. (Kendra Graham)
Let’s make a choice to walk closely with the Lord every day. In 2 Corinthians 5:7, it says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” Walking by faith simply means having an eternal perspective, so that we can feel at home in both worlds (temporary home and eternal home). Walking by faith, not sight means fixing our eyes on what is eternal. We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Practice having a closer walk with Jesus every day. In Joel 3:10, he said, “…let the weak say I am strong.” Begin to speak to yourself in the now of your circumstances and say, “I am strong.” If you are feeling weak just remember you can do all things through Jesus who strengthens you. As you begin to walk closer to Him, then you can sing, “How great Thou art, how great Thou art?”
May the Lord bless you and guide you every day. Gods got it! Amen!
Comments/Prayer Requests: Pastornaomi4god@gmail.com. FB: Joyful hoprayer. JOYFUL House of Prayer, 2519 Quicksand Road, P.O. Box 856, Jackson, Kentucky 41339
