Genesis 3:8 “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”
Genesis 5:22 “After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God for 300 years and had other sons and daughters.”
Genesis 6:9 “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.”
Genesis 48:15 “Then he blessed Joseph and said, ‘May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day.”
The verses above all list a common relational thread between God and some of His beloved children.
Starting with Adam and Eve, we can follow this sweet pattern as it embraces Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Isaac.
The surprising element that ties all of these pillars of faith together is simply that they all walked with God.
Webster defines the verb walk in several ways, but there are two usages that best reflect the relationship between the Creator and His creation.
To walk can mean “to come or go easily or readily” and “to pursue a course of action or way of life”.
Of course the story of Genesis tells us that before the fall, Adam and Eve physically walked with God in the cool of the day.
What an incredibly sweet image that is!
Although there is debate as to whether or not the others physically walked with God, the word walked is still used to describe their relationship with God.
The term walk again implies to come or go easily.
Adam and Eve did not chase after God.
Enoch did not strive for God.
Noah did not search for God.
Abraham did not run after God.
Isaac did not hunt for God.
They all walked with God.
The pace they all kept with God was one that allowed them to come or go easily and readily within the relationship.
When walking with God, there is no need to hurry to a fixed end or rush to meet an undefined goal.
God met them at a tempo that would provide the best opportunity for them to savor the time they spent with Him and to grow in His grace.
I believe God intentionally set a ‘leisurely’ walking pace because He knew it was at this speed life and relationship is best enjoyed.
We find a similar pattern in the New Testament as well.
Jesus called men of various vocations to follow Him as disciples. Each had a unique job that carried with it a particular life rhythm. Yet these fishermen, tax collectors, and tradesmen, after encountering Jesus, took on His rhythm of life.
He showed them a slower pace of life that allowed time to engage and encourage people. They learned how to bring the good news of the coming Kingdom in a calm and purposeful way, unshackled from the striving and searching they had known before.
The more they walked with Jesus the more they began to pursue a course of action and way of life that was different than what the world taught and expected of them.
The new way of life was one in which walking with their ultimate Savior replaced chasing, striving, searching, running or hunting for what the world offered.
Through these examples, God is inviting all of us into a similar pace within our relationship with Him.
As we slow down and remove ourselves from the frantic tempo of the world, we are better able to experience relationship with our Father that is unhurried and life-giving.
During the times you feel far from God, check the pace in which you are moving through this life.
Perhaps you have fallen into a rhythm that is out of sync with the movement of God.
Pause long enough to hear Him calling you into a leisurely, life-giving stroll with Him.
Slow down and allow yourself to find rest within His gentle steps and easy stride.
Make it a life goal to come and follow in the footsteps of Adam, Eve, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Isaac by walking faithfully with God.