Walking with the Lord

In chapter 5 of Genesis, the descendants of Adam are listed, along with the number of years they lived. For example, Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died -Gen 5:17. Each man is listed in a similar fashion, until we get to Enoch, son of Jared. Of Enoch it is written, Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him -Gen 5:23-24. It is interesting that the deaths of the other men were explicitly mentioned; but Enoch, who walked with the Lord, was not said to die but to be taken by God. So what does it mean to walk with God? I believe Noah can help us to begin to understand.

Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God -Gen 6:9. In a time of corruption and violence, Noah was the one man that found favor in God's eyes. In this chapter there is no mention of great works by Noah that might merit such favor; no outstanding feats of generosity or bravery as one might imagine. However, like Enoch, Noah was said to have walked with the Lord. I think that what Noah does when God tells him of the coming flood is the key to what it means to walk with God. So what does he do? He did all that God commanded him -6:22. When the heavenly Father came to Noah and said, 'build a gigantic ark, round up the kids, and gather a couple of every smelly animal', there is no mention of Noah questioning the Lord's orders or asking the Lord to pass on the responsibility to another. Noah did exactly as God instructed him to do. He "walked with the Lord".

Because Noah had faith and trust in God, he was able to fully commit himself to whatever God desired. A man not walking with the Lord would never have taken to heart the urgency and importance of God's words and would have perished under the waters. But Noah never wavered. He built an enormous ark (which must have seemed like such a laborious, unnecessary task at the time). And when the flood came God not only spared the lives of Noah and his family, but He made sure they had enough food -Gen 6:21 and He shut them in the ark himself -Gen 7:16.

Many of us shy away from walking with the Lord in the way that Noah did. It is fine and dandy to say you have faith in God and to listen to Him when He commands you to do something pleseant or easy; but what about when God tells you, 'there is a flood coming and you have a really difficult job ahead of you'. Do we say 'hey, just show me the blue prints Lord' or do we pretend we cannot hear Him while the water starts to slosh against our ankles?

Heavenly Father, I want to be like Noah and Enoch. I want to walk with you Lord. I pray that I have the faith and the courage to do all you command of me. Even when I feel unworthy and unable I know that You only ask of me what You know I can do.