God Speaking

“I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.” (Leviticus 26:12)

I was having coffee with some friends the other day when one of them brought up the subject of walking. She was sharing with us the ambitious plan she and her walking companion had come up with, to improve their fitness and stamina in their weekly walk. They were close friends and loved not only the wonderful way exercise reduced stress and released those endorphins, but they also loved the chatting and sharing of their lives with each other as they walked. I was thinking about them when I came across this verse in our Home Group study of Genesis;

“Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” (Genesis 5:24)

I started to delve into what exactly what “walked with God” might mean. The other person mentioned in Genesis, Noah, was also accredited with this beautiful description;

“…Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9)

God told his people that he was very willing to walk with us (Leviticus 26:12) so what better walking companion could we choose?

How would our relationship benefit if we chose to walk with God on a regular basis?

First of all when companions are walking together, one does not run ahead of the other, there is a mutual agreement to walk side by side, to share thoughts, to listen to the other’s problems, to console, to encourage to sometimes offer guidance, to be that listening ear that we all need.

Secondly a walking companion can be a great source of wisdom when one is grappling with a problem and needs a wise head to sort through the maze of options.

Thirdly and perhaps the most important of all, a close companion can bring a deep feeling of acceptance and joy to a relationship.

When we put all these reasons together we get a beautiful picture of the perfect walking companion, our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was so emphatic about being close to us on a daily basis, and having a personal relationship with us, he described it as being yoked to him.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29 – 30)

If we deliberately choose to ask the Lord to walk with us first thing in the morning and to accompany us all day it is amazing how smooth our path becomes, knowing he is right beside us , listening to all we say, observing all we do, comforting, advising, certainly changes the outcome of all our endeavors. What an incredible honour to finish the day knowing “we walked with God’.

I love the old hymns we sang as children and this chorus sums up the joy of that close walk with him.

And he walks with me

And he talks with me

And he tells me I am his own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

No other has ever known