Lord, I am pleading; hear Thou my prayer. Let me Thy blessed fellowship share. From day to day Thy servant I’d be. Grant me a closer walk with Thee.
Voices of earth unnumbered I hear; cares and perplexing problems are near. Trusting in Thee, my soul shall be free. Grant me a closer walk with Thee.
Strong are the foes that conquer I must. Long is the way, but in Thee I trust. In my own strength but weakness I see. Grant me a closer walk with Thee.
Glorious master, King of my soul, on Thee my burdens gladly I roll. Thou art my portion eternally. Grant me a closer walk with Thee.
Oh, for a closer walk with Thee! Near to Thy side I ever would be. Shield me and hide me; constantly guide me into a closer walk with Thee.
Penned and published nearly 100 years ago, these words of Haldor Lillenas capture something profound about the heart and desire of a person who has encountered God first-hand. All the metaphors and illustrations in the world fall short in their attempt to express what happens when we have an encounter with the living God. Poets, musicians, scholars and theologians have endeavored through the centuries to put words to it, only to arrive at the same conclusion that some truths must be experienced in order to be understood.
Such is the case with love. Such is the case with hope. Such is the case with beauty. These intangible, metaphysical concepts find no adequate description in human language or logic, but we can experience and understand them nonetheless. And not only that, but our understanding of each can grow and develop over time.
“Just for a closer walk with Thee! Near to Thy side I ever would be. Shield me and hide me; constantly guide me into a closer walk with Thee.” The heart and desire of a person who has encountered God, is to encounter God again – to draw closer to the Maker of their soul – for intimacy with the One who knows us best, but loves us anyway. This is the difference between mere belief and faithful relationship.
We see examples of this in Scripture:
David was known as being a man after God’s own heart. After being anointed by Samuel (to be the next King of Israel), David went back to work shepherding his family’s flocks. It’s no stretch to think that many of his Psalms were written in these years (think of Psalm 23 for example). Although David eventually became king, making some good decisions and some bad decisions, his heart continued to long for “a closer walk” with God.
Daniel was taken captive by a foreign nation, and never returned home. He developed and consistently lived a genuine walk with God, and as a result, God used Daniel to be a blessing to several world leaders in his generation. Even when it cost him, Daniel pursued intimacy with God over his own physical safety (think lions den).
Paul, who was already one of the most well-educated and influential people around, spent years developing his own relationship with God before ever setting out on his famous missionary journeys. He was comfortable enough to question and engage with God, but also humble enough to trust and obey (2 For 12:7 / Acts 16:6).
And of course Jesus modeled this for us as well, frequently withdrawing from the crowds to spend time in prayer. (Luke 5:16).
So what is the point of this blog? In its most direct sense, the point of this blog is to encourage each of us into a closer walk with God.
Jesus made some powerful statements recorded in the New Testament. One of these was during his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. “The true worshippers will worship in spirit and in truth.” And another was in response to a question. Jesus quoted and expanded on Deuteronomy 6:5 (in Matthew 22:36-37), that we should love God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength.
There is far too much to unpack here, but I encourage you to dig in and study/unpack it for yourself.
The point of this blog is to engage our minds, to activate and cultivate our logical and rational faculties, encouraging us into a deeper expression of loving God with our mind. That is not to exclude the possibility of poetry or homiletic discourse (engaging the heart and soul), but every endeavor should have a chief objective and strategy, and for us here, that will be engaging the mind.
Let me also add a few disclaimers here. I have no intentions of persuading readers to a particular doctrine or denomination. We are all biased, and although I will attempt to be objective, it’s very likely that my own background and tradition will emerge at times. I hope that you won’t “lose the forest for the trees.” We may not have everything in common, but we do have the most important thing in common.
And what is that?
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
These are the words of the Apostles Creed, and summarize the core beliefs of the Christian Church.
We are welcome to differ in opinions on the details, and my hope is that you really will engage your mind, and resonate with the spirit of Haldor Lillenas as he prayed, “constantly guide me into a closer walk with Thee.”
Just for a Closer Walk 