Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. GENESIS 3:8 (CSB)

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I began highlighting all the verses in the Bible that mention walking with God a few years ago. Most of my Bible reading takes place with my iPad in hand on the YouVersion Bible app. I use different colors to highlight different topics. For verses about walking with God, I chose the blue highlighter. I like blue. 

This verse is the first I noticed about walking with God. Like everything else in our relationship with him, he takes the initiative. He knew perfectly well what Eve and Adam had done. They hid from him because of their sin. Their response to his walking toward them was to run away from him. Nothing much has changed from the dawn of time, has it?

Read the rest of this chapter and you discover that sin has consequences. However, sin is not the end of the story. God’s redeeming and restoring work began immediately. 

Lesson number one? Do not walk away from God. Walk with him. Do not run away from him when you have problems; run to him. 

In chapter five, we read, “Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him,” (verse 24). The NIV translates this verse this way: “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” The Message paraphrases this verse, “Enoch walked steadily with God. And then one day he was simply gone: God took him.”

Lesson number two: Walk faithfully with God and you will always end up in the right place at the right time.

In Genesis 6 we come to the story of Noah. The story begins with verse 9: “These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God.”

Noah was righteous and blameless. Why? He walked with God.

Lesson number three: If you want to live a life above reproach, walk with God. 

Adam and Eve got off on a pathway of their own desire. This quickly turned disastrous, not only for them but for us all. Sin is never an isolated event. Consequences spiral beyond our control. 

Enoch walked so closely with God it did not matter if he was walking on the face of the earth or the streets of gold, he only wanted to be in God’s immediate presence forever. 

Noah’s habit of walking with God saved him, his family, and humanity. 

Coming out of 2020 and into 2021, can you think of a better time to begin walking ever more closely with God? This worldwide pandemic is not going away on our preferred timeline. We need God’s wisdom and direction more than ever. This is a good time to learn new lessons about God’s heart, mind, and guidance. This is a good time to walk with God.

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I will walk with God more closely than ever.

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Our Father, show me the way I should go. Lead me day by day, moment by moment, thought by thought, step by step. Do not allow me to get ahead of you, to fall behind you, or to swerve to the right or the left. Keep me in step with you all day, every day. Amen.