Acoustic Performance Of 'Just A Closer Walk With Thee'

Listen to this beautiful acoustic performance of ‘Just A Closer Walk With Thee.’ This song is considered to be one of the most favorite gospel hymns of the 20th century.

“I am weak but Thou art strong
Jesus keep me from all wrong
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee

Just a closer walk with Thee
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea
Daily walking close to Thee
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be”

The woman singing the hymn is Lindsay Kirkland, and her family has a YouTube channel that focuses on faith, family, and Jesus. According to their page, her husband, Brackin Kirkland, is a “multi-instrumentalist, composer, and sound engineer who has been saved by the grace of God and is compelled to draw others to Christ through personal story-telling and biblical narratives set to captivating music.” While Lindsay “has an angelic voice and brings a simple, grounded aesthetic to the music.”

When it comes to the history of ‘Just A Closer Walk With Thee,’ the widely held belief is that the song predates the Civil War. Some personal African American histories recall “slaves singing as they worked in the fields a song about walking by the Lord’s side.”

The hymn gained national popularity in the 1930s, and by the 1940s, it was prevalent at all night gospel rallies. In 1941, ‘Just A Closer Walk With Thee’ was first recorded by Selah Jubilee Singers.

Over the years, this popular song has been recorded by hundreds of artists, as well as translated into multiple languages. In 1956, Elvis Presley set sales records with his recording of this hymn.

The title and lyrics of this song reference the Bible verse 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” May we always cling to this truth and find our strength in Jesus. May we always walk with him each and every day.