Hopeful Lament in a Gospel Song – “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me”
Hopeful Lament in a Gospel Song – “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me”.
“May God, the source of hope, fill you completely with joy and peace as you continue trusting, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may have overflowing hope, a hope that bubbles over.” (Romans 5:13).
Hope Defined. The biblical words for hope point to being able to anticipate the future with pleasure, to welcome whatever comes next, to have confident expectations of good in one’s life. Hope is faith in the future and a deep assurance of God’s hand in whatever is coming around the corner. The Hebrew word in Scripture for hope, “tikvah,” can also mean a connecting cord. Its root word is “qavah” which means to wait, literally to weave together the strings to make an unbreakable cord. Thus in Scripture we find that occasionally the words hope and wait are somewhat interchangeable. The Greek word is “elpis,” and means much the same thing.
“Hope moves the heart of God to come to our help with His grace.” (Father R. Cantalamessa).
Hope Described. Various descriptions of hope might include: Hope is confidently expecting a positive outcome, as opposed to despair, which is fearfully expecting a negative outcome; hope is trusting God for one’s future, as opposed to doubt, which is distrustful of God for one’s future; hope is an optimistic assurance based on reality, as opposed to wishful thinking, which is based on uncertainty; hope is a patient waiting that keeps one actively moving forward, as opposed to a frustrating resignation which passively keeps one stuck; hope is the strong inner urge to work through a difficulty and do what one can to solve it, as opposed to the inclination to avoid a difficulty and thus not solve anything; hope is the positive conviction that there is something substantial to look forward to, as opposed to one’s pessimistic belief that the future holds nothing but a bleak emptiness; hope is the anticipation of a triumphant future in the long run, as opposed to someone who doesn’t even believe in the possibility of a long run of any kind. As the ancient Church Father put it, “Hope is the loving movement of one’s spirit towards that which it hopes for.” (St. Didacus). So hope is not only a deep assurance and steadfast conviction, but also includes the object of the hope itself, the hope in the flesh, Jesus Christ, “our blessed hope” (Titus 2:13).
“Those who sow their tears as seeds will reap a harvest with joyful shouts of glee. They may weep as they go out carrying their seed to sow, but they will return with joyful laughter and shouting with gladness as they bring back armloads of blessing and a harvest overflowing!” (Psalm 126:5-6, TPT).
This poignant African American spiritual is a classic gospel song that has been covered by countless musicians. Since it is anonymous, the origins of the song are very unclear. It certainly is in the spiritual tradition, in that it combines being a lament as well as a prayer request and a plea from the heart. Depending on the interpretation of the vocalist, it could be filled with pathos or with hopefulness. Many musicologists say that this song is one of the many “sorrow songs,” and is meant to be sung individually, requesting Jesus for His companionship and presence on a difficulty journey. This could also be called a “journey song,” because it was encouraging for the suffering African Americans to see life as a pilgrim’s journey, that heaven is ahead, that once this life is over they will be going to a better place. The official name for this particular tune is the “Sojourner Truth” tune, named after the famed ex-slave who helped countless slaves escape into freedom.
Noah Stewart – I Want Jesus To Walk With Me – Moses Hogan – YouTube
Like most spirituals, the singers often added their own lyrics to make it even more personal. Many singers improvise lyrics that are meaningful to them. Others have added such verses as…
“When I’m grieving, come walk with me…
“When friends forsake me, come walk with me…
“In my trials, Lord, come walk with me…”
I Want Jesus To Walk With Me – YouTube
This is such a beautiful rendition of the song, that I couldn’t in good conscience leave it off: