I will walk with Jesus, and He will walk with me.
This is the final line of our closing hymn. Just think about that wonderfully optimistic statement for a moment. Walking is such a mundane and common action. But it's definitely meaningful and worth thinking about in terms of our mortal life. Have you ever witnessed a young child just learning to walk? It's an exciting time! I hope there's some sort of replay monitor in the next life, because I would really like to see or relive my own first steps and especially what I felt in those moments.
Being able to move about in one's environment is an empowering capability. While everyone has a different gate and style of movement, walking is pretty similar from person to person. We tend to walk in the direction we face. Trying to walk one way and look the other generally doesn't go very well, and might even be dangerous. If you've ever tried to walk backwards for any distance you'll probably remember the unsettled feeling it gave you. It's safe to say that, in walking it is our immediate visual focus that determines our destination. The same is true of life in a broader context: what we focus on day in and day out reveals our priorities and our eventual destination.
Jesus, in his sermon on the mount, said:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:21)
I will walk with Jesus, and He will walk with me.
What does it mean to walk with someone? Picture two missionaries, companions, one several steps ahead but looking back, sighing with impatience at the other—who is lagging behind, kicking a small stone with every other step, gaze turned downward. The term 'companions' is a generous one in this case. I think we can all agree that these two are heading in the same direction, but to say they are walking with each other is a stretch.
We don't see Jesus or interact with him like we interact with other people we know. So, this statement about walking with him, and Him walking with us, must be metaphorical, at least to some degree, right?
Before any of us learned to walk, we had to simply stand. The apostle Paul, after a pretty tumultuous day received a personal visit from the Lord Jesus Christ, described in Acts 23:11:
And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/acts/23?lang=eng&id=11#p10
Jesus expressed this same sentiment more recently in D&C 68:6:
Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.
Many songs come to mind that express this comforting idea of someone standing by us when times are hard, or when we feel stuck, or we're just struggling to carry on. As these two scriptures point out, when we testify of Jesus, he stands by us, and not just metaphorically.
Now, the journey of life requires more than just standing, we've got to get a move on at some point. But we're not alone, so who do we want to walk with? We are part of families. We are a ward family and are part of primary classes, young women classes, Sunday school classes, priesthood quorums, and the Relief Society. We have assignments to minister, and as neighbors and disciples of Jesus Christ we minister wherever we can to whoever needs us. In doing so, we are walking with Jesus, and he is walking with us.
On top of all that, the scriptures reassure us that we don't walk alone. Did you know that the topical guide contains a section devoted to the concept of "Walking with God"? That topical guide entry contains 92 scripture references throughout the scriptures that teach us how we can more fully "walk with God".
Most of these references could be summarized by Hymn #304:
Teach me to walk in the light of his love;
Teach me to pray to my Father above;
Teach me to know of the things that are right;
Teach me, teach me to walk in the light.
Sacred Music Can Help Us Walk With Jesus
Over the course of this last week the church released news articles reminding us that it's now been a year since the church started releasing batches of new music in anticipation of a new collection: Hymns, for Home and Church.
One way I've tried to walk with Jesus is to actively use these new hymns and songs to build faith in my own personal worship, and in our family's worship. Our closing hymn was released as part of the very first batch. We had already heard this hymn at the release of Children and Youth program in 2019. In an interview released by the church news podcast, the compose of this song, Steve Schank, who also serves as the chair of the church music committee overseeing the new hymnbook, told how his song came to be written.
Bro. Schank also gave details about how each new hymn the committee recommends for inclusion in the new collection goes through several committees comprised of church leaders, culminating in a review by the first presidency. He describes that:
President Russell M. Nelson, as many know, is a musician. He plays through the hymns. Sometimes, something will go all the way to the First Presidency and be approved, and then we get feedback to change something from the First Presidency. We get feedback [at] every level. The leaders of the Church are very involved in this process. We make recommendations. They make decisions.
I was absolutely delighted to learn that President Nelson has taken such an interest in this music. I can just picture him at his piano, singing the recently released Hymn #1028: "This Little Light of Mine, I'm gonna let it shine"?
The latest from this week's flurry of news articles about the new hymnbook has clarified that we can expect somewhere around 375 hymns and songs in the final collection, which will replace our current hymnbook and children's songbook collection. The new hymns will cover a much wider variety of musical styles and traditions than we enjoy in our current musical collections. All of the music in the new collection are meant to be used by members and families at home, and are appropriate to use in any church meeting, including Sacrament meeting.
I've absolutely loved singing the new music in Sacrament meeting over the last year. We may take for granted that we have such talented organists and choristers. I've attended other wards for a few family events or while traveling during the last year and I've witnessed wards really struggle through the new music because the organist and chorister were struggling with the new material. Thanks to each of our organists and choristers!
We are so fortunate to have stake leaders who have approved the production of the folders with hard copies of all the new music. We are fortunate to be receiving these small batches of music to help us learn the new music a little at a time, hopefully without feeling overwhelmed. By the time the new book is expected to be released in print (in mid-2027) we will probably be familiar with most or all of the new material. We are fortunate to have beautiful recordings of the new music, available in the Gospel Library app. Try singing a harmony parts with the choir recordings, or put on the guitar accompaniment tracks when you want some reverent background music--they are all very well done.
The goal of the hymnbook project, as stated recently by Elder Renlund is not simply to replace existing hymnbooks and children’s songbooks: “Instead, the purpose is to increase faith and worship of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in homes and at Church, and to unify members throughout the world. The musical styles are to be expanded to help achieve these objectives.”
As you peruse the new hymns on your mobile device or on the church website, notice the text "About this Hymn" near the bottom of each hymn. Tapping on that text will bring up an article with info about each hymn, as well as gospel principles and questions to ponder in your gospel study.
Sacred music is just one way the Savior will stand by us through our hard times, and he'll walk with us as we wend our way on His covenant path.
Conclusion
I've been asking people what they think it means to walk with the savior. One of our youth gave this insight: "If we are walking with God, whatever we do, and wherever we go will often be indistinguishable from what the savior would do and where he would go" -CA
It occurs to me that when we walk with god we are filled with his love, for all. We build others up and do all we can to understand the needs, challenges, objectives of others around us, because we recognize that because they are our brothers and sisters they matter like we matter.
During his mortal ministry the Savior often beckened "come, follow me". When the prophet Enoch recieved his call to prophecy the Lord reassured him with this invitation:
Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify...and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.
As we enthusiastically follow the Savior's way, we won't be like the disheartened missionary companion, following at a distance. No, we'll follow with such purpose and focus that before long we'll be walking with Him, and He with us.
You are all wonderful examples of this and I thank you for all the good that you do. I know that our Heavenly parents are concerned for each of us, because they love us. Jesus is our older brother who saves us from the effects of the fall and the tempting of Satan. He knows each of us, and how to help us, perfectly. Though he knows are imperfections and weakness, he still wants to walk with us--amazing evidence of his love. Often, the most meaningful evidence of our Heavenly family's love for us is the guiding and comforting influence of the Holy Ghost, which testifies of their love for us and their plan for us to return.