From what we know of his life, this author and music publishing hall-of-famer was in or near Chattanooga, Tennessee (see this scene from 1907 of Market Street, there) around 1938 when he wrote some words about a daily habit. Jesse Randall “Pap” Baxter, Jr. thought that, though this practice was routine, it was significant. “On and On We Walk Together”, he said about these regular meeting times with his Divine Guide. No special circumstances are known regarding what prompted Pap to write the words, but perhaps that dearth of information tells us something. If you do something every day consistently, it really needs no other justification to explain its importance – its repetition speaks for itself. His reliability translates to me, when I make our day-to-day appointments a pattern, an anchor. What’s that look like to others who might stop and take notice?
The 51-year-old Pap Baxter was well along the musical pathway of his life when he composed the poem about his daily walks. He’d become a partner with Virgil Stamps in a music publishing enterprise in Tennessee, Texas, and Arkansas in 1926, a venture that continued even after Pap and Virgil had died (Virgil in 1940, and Pap in 1960; the company was later sold after Pap’s wife died in 1972). Pap’s musical career included the lyrics for over 500 songs, including ‘On and On…’. Evidently, he didn’t want his life’s habits and who he trusted eternally to be a secret. He’d found his life’s work, even as an economic upheaval (the Great Depression) afflicted the United States, could be an anchor and a buoy at the same time. Was it the message of hope that the Stamps-Baxter company helped promulgate that helped it survive amidst hardship for others in America at the time? That daily life was a struggle for millions of people in the 1930s was an understatement, so was there something that Pap could recommend to salve the pain? Pap could undoubtedly see the situation about him and others, as he noted ‘shadows dim’ (v.1), ‘fear’ (v.2), and ‘stormy weather’ (chorus) that could consume one’s life. Pap’s walks with ‘my Savior’ were his anchor to stabilize an otherwise shaky situation; how many other businesses did Pap and Virgil watch close their doors, while theirs survived? Other conditions must have spurred Pap’s thoughts, including the spiritual state of people he knew, so it was important when he noted that His hand ‘points to heaven above’ (v.1). God was a confidant for the spiritual and temporal challenges that lay across the pathway of Pap and others he knew, apparently. How many spirits did Pap’s words make more buoyant and resilient at the time? We’ll only know later, in another place.
In what time of day do Pap’s words best work? He says ‘daily’, and mentions ‘shadows’ and ‘sunshine’, so He’s available whenever I might feel a range of emotions, Pap suggests. Baxter and his partner must have had their down moments, times when they needed a lift, someone to come along side and give some advice and encouragement. They knew where to look. And, Pap told others how they managed to do this; whether morning or evening, the part that mattered was that it was daily. Make time with Him a way of life, not just an emergency call – that’s what Pap seems to be saying. 911 works with God, but try Him on every day, and see if you can head off some of those crises before they happen. He wants to be more for you than an EMT-on-call.
See the site here for some biographic information on the author: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.R._Baxter
See also here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/b/a/x/t/baxter_jr.htm
See information here also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamps-Baxter_Music_Company
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