Enoch walked with God

I am attempting--once again--to read through the Bible in a year.  We have a one year reading Bible that is set up in 'reading plan order'.  I'm on day five and so far so good.  I've never actually accomplished this--I usually get sidetracked and behind somewhere along the way until it feels impossible to catch up.  I have high hopes that this is the year that I stay FOCUSed, since that's my 'word' and all.

Often when I read a passage in the Bible there are a few of the verses that stand out to me, as if God is taking a highlighter and saying, 'meditate deeper here'.  God's Word is no ordinary book--it's living and active and breathing.  He illuminates and breathes the words into our soul to draw us close to Himself.

Yesterday He shined his light clearly on three scriptures that kept coming back to my mind throughout the day, one of these being:

Genesis 3:24:  Enoch walked with God, and he was not there, because God took him.

I am so intrigued with Enoch.  There is very little said about him in Scripture, but the little that is said is very significant.  For one, no one else mentioned in the verses before and after him in this chapter are described as 'walking with God.'  Actually, most everyone in this period of time had forgotten God and were living self-centered, rebellious lives.  Secondly, Elijah is the only other person ever described in the Bible as being 'taken' by God.  Both Elijah and Enoch were considered Godly men who walked closely with Him.  The fact that he is one of two people that God ever spared from death is huge.  Trying to wrap my mind around that is nearly impossible!  Finally, Enoch is mentioned in Hebrews 11, the great hall of faith chapter: 

 'By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.   And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.'  

Can you imagine God being so pleased with your amount of faith that he spared you from experiencing death?  Can you imagine?

Reading about Enoch inspires me to want to be like him.  I want to walk with God, not just when it's easy, but in the hard moments of life too.  And, honestly, the hard moments are often just those various moments throughout an ordinary day.  I want to walk with God when I am doing mundane tasks like washing dishes, doing laundry and making meals.  I want to walk with God when I am on my way to pick up my kids from track practice.  I want to walk with God when I over sleep and our morning is rushed and out of sync.  I want to walk with God on the day that my hair dryer breaks and I can't fix my hair.  I want to walk with God when my car breaks down and we have no money to fix it.  I want to walk with God when I'm irritated with Eric for leaving his sweaty clothes lying around.  I want to walk with God when my daughter borrows my favorite article of clothing and then leaves it somewhere.  I want to walk with God when the lines are forever long at Walmart.  I want to walk with God when it's so cold outside that our pipe freezes (a current happening, actually).

Oh, I want to walk with God!


The truth is that I will never be able to walk with him perfectly while on this Earth.  No one ever has and no one ever will--not even Enoch or Elijah.  They--too--were flawed, imperfect sinners like the rest of us.  Walking with God doesn't have anything to do with perfection but it has everything to do with direction.  Who is directing my life?  Who am I allowing to direct me, or call the shots?  We see this in Hebrews 11:5-6.  God was pleased with Enoch because of his faith, a faith that is all about believing that God exists and wanting to earnestly seeks Him.  

The dictionary defines earnestly as 'marked by or showing deep sincerity or seriousness.'  If I want to walk with God in this life than I must seek Him earnestly before all other things.  I've got to get serious about seeking Him and finding Him in my midst.  I must make my relationship with Him THE priority.  

Walking with God means truly believing that my every day moments can be God-filled moments.  Walking with God means knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that spending more time with Him will result in more of Him and less of me.  Walking with God is knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that He rewards us with His presence when we seek Him out, which is worth far more than anything this world has to offer.