10/12/2025
Do we stroll with God, or yearn to dance with Him? How close is our relationship, and how desperately do we seek to remain in His presence? In our desire for salvation and eternal life do we place our physical wants above simply loving Him as our internal nature dictates? If so, do we realize that there may never be a quiet stroll through the garden, a conversation spent speaking without having to utter a word, or hearing Him sing to us? God knows our hearts, but He wants more than this… He wants us to engage with Him as He has created us, to be in an active relationship with Him, and to love Him as our given nature is meant to.
“When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”
Genesis 5:21-24 ESV
I live beside a beautiful city park in Nashville, and on occasion I watch older couples as they walk arm in arm with one another. For the most part they don’t speak, but the emotional bond they share shouts at me as I enjoy the vision of their loving relationship. Love is that way; the stronger it gets the less it must be advertised, and yet the more obvious it is... we become ever more as one and find that our natural individuality has joined us together as one.
Soft, oh so soft, are the moments spent with someone you love. A touch that in your youth was so boldly sensual, and often about your own physical needs, becomes much gentler and reaches quietly into our hearts as our relationship matures. For the young this is something to look forward to, and for the old it is a comfortable reality.
Our faith settles in over the years and the peace promised us becomes a reality. This is the evidence of a walk with God. It isn’t flamboyant or outlandish, just calm and certain of itself. It reminds me of an old hymn that I have sung throughout my life, “Rock of Ages”, and the calm assurance of that hymn’s melody and lyrics comforts me. It isn’t stirring or performed to a rock n roll beat or wording... it is a prayer written in 1763, that once set to music, became a hymn for all ages... it settles one’s spirit for another day’s walk with Jesus.
“Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.” - Augustus M. Toplady
Enoch walked with God... this isn’t a bold proclamation, but a simple statement of fact, and at the end of His life of faith he wasn’t whisked away in a flaming chariot as lightning streaked across the sky, and the entire heavenly host didn’t sing in the background, but rather, he walked away with God in quiet assurance… the scripture simply describes this by saying, “he was not.”
We are all naturally different, some of us enjoy solitude, others the hustle bustle of loud crowds; some of us like walks in the park and others desire to dance to a driving beat. Enoch simply walked with God and then “he was not.” Yet, Elijah completed his time on earth in very bold fashion... listen…
“And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”
2 Kings 2:11 ESV
However our relationship with God manifests itself, whether during quiet walks where our souls intertwine, or amidst brisk jogs in the park as we talk in pants between each stride... the object is not simply to obtain eternal life, but an eternal life in a loving relationship with God. In all cases, we should one day find that we can’t separate who we are from who He is.
It is easy to lose sight of the differences between each of us and to find ourselves knowing who God is but not sharing in relationship with Him by imitating someone else’s walk. If we don’t spend time walking, jogging, or even dancing with Him as ourselves, then our relationship and life of faith will have been sacrificed. Without spending our days with Him as the individual we are we will never be able to reach that place where we can speak without words, run in stride with Him, or dance in perfect synchronization across the dance floor. Whether we are like Enoch or Elijah, the goal should be to join with Him in eternity so that our relationship knows no end.
I am a quiet man and lean towards a life of tranquility; perhaps you are inclined to waltz, jitterbug, or jog through your life... whoever we are, we should be that person as we seek pour relationship with God and spend our time in His presence. In this way our relationship will mature naturally as we draw closer to Him.
For me I long to see Jesus and stand with Him before God. For me I look forward to the quiet walks with God in the garden in the cool of the evening. For me I hear the final verse of “Rock of Ages” being sung, and long with all my heart to hide myself in Him.
“While I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyes shall close in death,
when I soar to worlds unknown,
see thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee.” - Augustus M. Toplady
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for the journey I am on with you, and the day-by-day growth of our quiet relationship. Be with me always Father and never let go of my hand. Let me be at peace beside you until at last I am no more, and we are together for eternity. Help me Lord to love you more and find my comfort ever more restful in your presence. Guide me as I traverse this life and be with me always as I approach each trial and crossroads it presents. As my days here grow short let me hear myself speak and ask of myself... “Is that you Jesus?” Holy Father my desire is to be increasingly like you each day. My dream of faith is to realize that I am truly created in your image and have learned to recognize the family resemblance. Father, I thank you for your grace and mercy. I thank you for the love you have for me and the desire you have to experience who I am and walk together with me. You are my God, my Father, and my constant companion... I praise you day and night for our relationship and even for the words we no longer must speak aloud. I look forward to the prospect that at the end of my life here on earth I will simply “be no more” but will forevermore be with you. Take me in this way Lord, just as you take each of us in accordance with our nature and the relationship we have with you.
Amen, Amen, Amen!
Rich Forbes