Kim Walker-Smith Says Being in the ‘Wilderness’ Drew Her ‘Closer to God’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Kim Walker-Smith, a worship leader known for her powerful voice, original songs and involvement with the band Jesus Culture, is opening up about her solo career.
In an interview with Relevant Magazine, Smith shared how God led her to leave California and Jesus Culture and move her family to Montana.
“I was with Jesus Culture for 21 years, and it’s kind of hard to wrap your head around that,” she said. “I honestly thought that’s where I would be probably forever, maybe until I retired. But we had been feeling for quite a while that God was going to be moving us out and into something new and different. I honestly tried to just ignore that for quite a while.”
Since leaving the musical group, Walker-Smith has been creating her own music.
“I’m not writing specifically for a certain record or conference or church or movement, you know, there wasn’t any kind of big focus I was trying to write for. So, all of these songs have just been birthed out of these last few years of me processing what I’ve been walking through and doing, looking ahead to the future.”
Walker-Smith explained how her upcoming album, “Under the Big Sky,” reflects her prayers and the “wilderness” journey she has been on for the past three years.
“I felt like I’ve been in the wilderness, but it’s not been a negative thing. It’s actually been really good, a blessing, and I’ve felt drawn much closer to God during this time,” she explained. “These songs have been the prayers that have come out of there.”
The “Where You Go I Go” singer hopes her music will do more than draw people close to God.
“I actually pray that for people who, like me, have been kind of in a wilderness, that these songs kind of help carry them through,” she said.
She released “Boxes,” the first single from her upcoming album, in February.
“The message of ‘Boxes’ summarized the last three years for me,” explained Walker-Smith. “I could feel God calling me to step out of my comfort zone and to chase His presence. This required me to move outside of the boxes I kept myself in and even the boxes I felt others would hold me to. When you don’t want to disappoint anyone, you end up putting others ahead of God, which is just plain wrong. The more I boldly climbed out of those boxes, the more the Lord would meet me there and fill me with boldness. Fear of man was replaced with fear of God, and I’ve been experiencing greater freedom and joy because of it.”
She released “Let Revival In” in March.
“What does ‘Let Revival In’ mean to you?” Walker-Smith asked on Instagram.
The lyrics read, “Dreamer, go dream again. Open up, let revival in. Pioneer, go build again. Open up, let revival in. Singer, prophesy again. Open up, let revival in. Church, catch the fire again. Open up, let revival in.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Walker-Smith:
Kim Walker-Smith explained why she left Jesus Culture and how the last couple of years have built towards her upcoming solo album.
“One of the biggest changes that’s affected everything is I left Jesus Culture. And it’s always kind of a hard and big thing to talk about. When you say something as big as that, people are always like, ‘Oh no,’” Walker-Smith told the Relevant podcast. “People kind of assume the worst and kind of wonder what’s going on. And I get it; it’s really hard.”
“I was with Jesus Culture for 21 years, and it’s kind of hard to wrap your head around that, and honestly, I thought that’s where I would be, I don’t know, probably forever. Maybe until I retired,” Walker-Smith continued. “But we had been feeling for quite a while that God was going to move us out and into something new and something different, and I honestly tried to ignore that for quite a while.”
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