O Master Let Me Walk With You
O Master, let me walk with you
This hymn embodies Lutheran emphasis on vocational discipleship and the calling to live out faith in concrete daily actions. It reflects the priesthood of all believers through its focus on common work sanctified through Christian service alongside Christ.
History & Background
Written by Washington Gladden in 1879, this hymn reflects the social gospel movement's emphasis on practical Christian living and service. It was first published in Gladden's hymn collection and has become a standard American Protestant hymn expressing discipleship.
Washington Gladden (b. Pottsgrove, PA, 1836; d. Columbus, Scripture References OH, 1918) wrote the original poem from which this text was st. 1 = 1 John 2:5-6 taken. It was published in three long stanzas in the magazine st. 3 = Gal. 5:16 he edited, The Sunday Afternoon (March 1879), with the title ‘Walking with God.” Gladden explained that his poem “had no liturgical purpose” but was intended as “an honest cry of human need, of the need for divine companionship.” Interestingly enough, this meditative text on Christian service (with a gentle quality confirmed by the use of the MARYTON tune) is the work of a man who, by the end of the nineteenth century, was considered to be a powerful spokesman and activist for the liberal “social gospel.” Ordained in 1860, Gladden was a Congregational minister who served churches in New York, Massachusetts, and Ohio. He gained national promi nence during his pastorate at the First Congregational Church in Columbus, Ohio (1882-1914), because of his advocacy of the church’s strong role in issues of social justice for the laboring people and because of his use of modern methods of biblical criticism. Educated at Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, Gladden edited the New York Independent and was one of the editors of the Pilgrim Hymnal (1904). Included in his many writings are The Christian Way (1877), Applied Christianity (1887), Christianity and Socialism (1905), and a fascinating essay, “Tainted Money” (1905), in which he criticized his denomination for accepting a $100,000 gift from Standard Oil’s Rockefeller. Charles H. Richards revised stanzas 1 and 3 of Gladden’s poem and published them as a hymn text in four shorter stanzas in his Songs of Christian Praise (1880). Richards’s revision appears in most modern hymnals. The text emphasizes that an intimate walk 748 WALK WITH GOD with God is expressed in Christian service to our neighbors: in bearing burdens (st. 1), in actions of love and patient leadership (st. 2-3), and in striving for hope and peace (st. 4).
Hymnal Appearances
- Baptist Hymnal — 466
- Chalice Hymnal — 602
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 818
- Glory to God — 738
- The Hymnal 1982 — 659
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 492
- Lift Up Your Hearts — F8
- Lutheran Worship — 371
- New Century Hymnal — 503
- Psalter Hymnal — 573
- United Methodist Hymnal — 430
- Voices Together — 601
Liturgical Use
As a post-sermon hymn or prayer hymn; fitting for worship that focuses on Christian ministries in the world.
Bulletin Note
Written by Washington Gladden in 1879, this hymn captures the social gospel movement's conviction that Christian faith must animate concrete, daily labor—a distinctly Lutheran vision of vocation hallowed by Christ's presence.
Preaching Connection
This hymn transforms the Law's demand for obedient service into a Gospel invitation: Christ Himself walks beside us in our callings, making our ordinary work a means of grace.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: From divine calling to missionary commission: the believer receives God's Word, develops compassionate hearts for the lost, practices faithful intercession, and participates in God's redemptive work until all creation glorifies Him
Themes
Discipleship Following Christ Christian witness Service Daily obedience