When We Walk with the Lord Hymn (Trust and Obey) – History of hymn

When We Walk with the Lord Hymn Lyrics

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.

Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey
.

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. [Refrain]

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. [Refrain]

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. [Refrain]

When We Walk with the Lord History

This hymn came about from an incident at one of Dwight L Moody’s revival meetings in 1887. A young man who had just given his life to the Lord Jesus Christ was heard saying, ‘I am not quite sure – I am going to trust and obey.’

The music director of the Moody Bible Institute, Professor Towner, was present at the meeting when these words were uttered. Based on these words, Professor Towner, with the help of John Sammis, who developed the lyrics, composed the music to this hymn Trust and Obey or When we walk with the Lord.

Daniel Towner - When We Walk with the Lord hymn history and lyrics
Daniel Towner

The words seem so simple, but they express the feelings of many Christians. It is not easy to trust and obey but that is what we are all called to do if we are to be happy in Jesus.
This song has remained popular with many Christian singers to this day, and it is my hope that you too will be blessed by this simple but powerful Christian song.

A brief Intro of the Author: John H. Sammis

Sammis was born in 1846 in Brooklyn. Later, he shifted to Logansport, Indiana at the age of 22. He later converted to Christianity and became an active member of Y.M.C.A. and served as a secretary for the TH Association.

He studied at Lane seminary. After leaving the seminary he pastored some Indianapolis churches. In 1909, he joined the Los Angeles Bible Institute.

He wrote over one hundred hymns. However, “When we walk with the Lord” is the most prominent hymn among them all.

Complete Text Information of “When we walk with the Lord”

Here is the complete information about this hymn:

• Author: John H. Sammis (1887)
• Composer: Professor Daniel Towner
• Title: Trust and Obey
• First Line: When we walk with the Lord
• Language: English
• Meter: 6.6.9 D with refrain
• Refrain First Line: Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
• Liturgical Use: Songs of Response
• Copyright: Public Domain

Beautiful Message in the hymn: When we walk with the Lord

The hymn covers two aspects of everyone’s salvation which are our faith and willingly or unwillingly obey the words of Almighty God. However, if we follow Him willingly, it will be much better. Let’s try to understand the message of this hymn:

Stanza 1: If we trust and obey the commandment of God, we will walk in the light. If we do so, the Lord will shed his blessing and glory on our way. Thus, Christ will abide in us because we abide in His words.

Stanza 2: Shadows and clouds are most often considered the tribulations and trials of life. His smile expresses grace, and He helps us when we want or need help. Whether we have doubts, sighs, tears, and fears, the Lord promises that if we trust Him and leave everything to Him, He will give us our desires.

Stanza 3: Each Christian has a burden to bear. So, keep in mind that God is not unjust and doesn’t forget to repay what we do for Him. Even in a severe loss or grief, if we turn to our Lord and trust Him instead of putting confidence in men, He will certainly hear us and bless us.

Stanza 4: We can never appreciate the delights of His love until we surrender all at his altar. The secret to spiritual success is to trust and obey Him. We should sacrifice our most beloved things for Him and in return, He will reward us for our acts.

Stanza 5: “Sit at His feet” means listening to the words of Jesus carefully. To “Walk by His side in the way” shows that we should do what we heard from Jesus. If we do what Jesus tells us to do and we go where He sends us to go, it means we trust and obey Jesus, and this will lead us to salvation.

When We Walk with The Lord YouTube Video

Below is a YouTube video on this hymn, “When We Walk with the World.”

For links for more stories on hymn visit, Popular Hymns, and History.

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