Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” Genesis 3:8a NIV
Can you imagine what it was like to hang out with God in the garden? Before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve had the privilege of enjoying God’s presence and physically walking with Him every day. Even after he banished them from the garden, it was still God’s desire to enjoy fellowship with the people He had made. He did not abandon man, but continued to reach out and offer them relationship. Why? Because God loves people and truly desires to fellowship with us!
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Genesis 6:9 NIV
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Genesis 17:1 NIV
After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Genesis 5:22, 24 NIV
We see in Enoch God’s passion to enjoy fellowship with man as it was in the garden. He so enjoyed His time with Enoch that He chose to eliminate the physical distance between them, as if to say, “Let’s continue our walk together where I am.” Even as God gave His children the law, (which was really just a tutor to help them understand their need for a Savior), He made this declaration:
I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. Leviticus 26:12 NIV
It’s always been God’s desire to walk with us, it’s been clear since the beginning of time. That’s why Jesus came, to remove the separation and allow us to again enjoy fellowship with God. What a privilege to have been one of the disciples living at that time, walking with Jesus, mile after mile, town to town, hearing His thoughts and getting to know Him. I’m sure even after Jesus returned to the Father, the disciples often recalled the intimate conversations they enjoyed on those long walks! After the resurrection, before He ascended, he joined two of them on the road to Emmaus as they walked and talked about all that had happened.
As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him…And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.…Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:15-16, 27, 31-32 NIV
Still today, God desires each one of us to walk with Him daily, to set aside a time when He can personally apply the Scriptures to our lives, just like He did for the two men on the road to Emmaus. In those moments we gain strength to battle the attacks of our flesh, the world, and the enemy. Paul put it this way:
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. Galatians 5:16-17 NIV
We begin to receive wisdom and guidance as Isaiah talked about:
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21 NIV
I challenge you to commit to spending quality time in prayer with God every day. I guarantee it will change your life. If you are physically able, consider walking outside as you pray each day. The benefits to walking go far beyond the physical. Studies show that we are mentally sharper when we engage in walking and if you are seeking the Lord, conversing with Him as you walk, you’ll also benefit from a closer relationship with Him. Why not make your daily time of prayer truly be a walk with the Lord? As you do, you’ll find this proverb to be true:
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Proverbs 4:12 NIV
Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD. Isaiah 2:5 NIV
Amen!