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ND these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
This is a hymn of inner reflection based upon the demands of Christian obedience written by John H. Sammis (1846-1919) in 1887. I felt compelled to write on this hymn after listening to the 15th Trinity sermon of the Rev. Stephen Cooper of Church of the Redeemer, in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Rev. Cooper prominently mentions this hymn in connection to the glory and beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. The tune is simply, Trust and Obey.
When we walk with the Lord
When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Not a burden we bear,
not a sorrow we share,
but our toil he doth richly repay;
not a grief or a loss,
not a frown or a cross,
but is blest if we trust and obey.
Refrain
But we never can prove
the delights of his love
until all on the altar we lay;
for the favor he shows,
for the joy he bestows,
are for them who will trust and obey.
Refrain
Then in fellowship sweet
we will sit at his feet,
or we'll walk by his side in the way;
what he says we will do,
where he sends we will go;
never fear, only trust and obey
Refrain
1 When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way! While we do his good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. The Lord is glorious in all His works, and the true Christian is His the work of His plan intended to reflect His image that was marred at Eden. His Word is the Light that guides our walk: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.(Psalm 119:105) The Lord does not pay His people casual visits, but abides with them always – even in times of doubt, but we are compelled to trust and obey Him if our fellowship is sincere and filled with His love.
2 Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but our toil he doth richly repay; not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, but is blest if we trust and obey. It is impossible to have a burden for the Lord, for our own burdens are His which He has taken from our shoulders and lifted our unbecoming yoke. Trusting during the most contrary of circumstances enables us to endure and prevail beyond them to the joy that transcends every step of our walk with Him. Though the . . . wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We suffer never a loss in Christ.
3 But we never can prove the delights of his love until all on the altar we lay; for the favor he shows, for the joy he bestows, are for them who will trust and obey. The sacrifice for our sins has already been laid, once and for all, on the altar by our Lord’s redeeming cross; so, what does the Lord require in return for His love? The only thing we possess that includes all else is our hearts – that is the only treasure we can lay on the altar – not as a sacrifice, but as our bounden duty.
4 Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at his feet, or we'll walk by his side in the way; what he says we will do, where he sends we will go; never fear, only trust and obey. We have sat at the Lord’s feet as Mary of Bethany in absorbing the beauty of His teaching and, having known what Christ has done for us, we must now get up and walk with Him – not simply in His mighty resurrection, but also in His Way of service to others, of teaching His Word, of bearing our own cross daily, in dying to self, and finally being buried with Him at the completion of that earthly walk. There is only ONE way for the believer – and that is Christ – . . . the Way, the Truth, and the Life!
