Keeping in step

"And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters...Enoch walked with God, then he was no more, because God took him away." Genesis 5:22,24

I noticed that the above scripture mentioned two times that Enoch "walked with God"...what does it mean to walk with God?

Many of us probably get a mental picture in our head of Enoch literally taking a leisurely stroll down the lane with God. Years ago, when I taught pre-school, I recall one of my students recapping the story of Enoch. She said: "Enoch use to go on long walks with God, except one day, they walked so far that God said to Enoch, 'It is too far to walk back so just come home with me.' "

I chuckle at that now as I recall it just like I did back then. But really, doesn't that capture the essence of what "walking with God" is all about. Not literally, but spiritually.

Enoch was walking with God even in the midst of a godless generation, he went the same way that God went, he was keeping in step with Him. We are no different than Enoch. The sinful nature that surrounds us is the same sinful nature that surrounded Enoch. This is why it is imperative that we take daily walks with God.

I love taking walks. In fact it is one of the things that I love doing with my husband. One of the reasons for this is clearly not because of the exercise but it is to simply spend time with him. We hold hands. We talk. We laugh. Sometimes I have to step up my walk to stay in step with him.

The same is true with  my walk with God. Walking with Him brings joy. It is talking with Him and holding His hand. But the best part of taking a life long walk with God is that when I hit a pothole along the way and begin to stumble, He is there to pick me up, steady me and place me back on the walkway of life again.

When is the last time you took a stroll with God? It is my prayer that we could all have a Enoch walk, the kind that will just lead us home.