Walking by Faith

My grandson is learning to walk. As he toddles forward, he pauses every few steps to clap for himself. He is also fond of holding a yellow microfiber cloth while walking, as one never knows when the floor might need cleaning. For me, the funniest sight is when he drops the cloth and tries to pick it up, but accidentally slides it behind him. He then has to gaze between his legs, as if about to do a somersault, in order to spy the whereabouts of his wayward cloth. It is a very serious affair. After all, the floor will not clean itself.

The Bible often uses the phrase, “walking with God,” to describe our daily journey of faith. In the midst of an Old Testament genealogy, someone named Enoch is singled out from his contemporaries in that he “walked with God.” At the end of his life, he did not have to experience physical death, but rather was taken directly into heaven by God himself.

Chances are, we will not be taken up into heaven in the manner of Enoch, but we can experience huge blessings in this life when we intentionally walk with God. The preposition, with, is key. It connotes “alongside” as a child holding the hand of a parent with complete trust. It implies intimacy, dependency, and even surrender. In the book of Genesis, there is a beautiful image of God walking with Adam in the cool of the evening amid the lush landscape of the Garden of Eden. This was God’s desire from the very beginning and it remains so even now.

For me, sometimes I physically hold my right arm aloft, my hand open, as an act of dependence, a desire to be guided by the one who knows the future. For he alone is the source of authentic hope and counsel that will not disappoint.

“For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear. I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13

Psalm 63:8 says, “My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”

Psalm 23 paints a beautiful picture of God taking care of us as a shepherd leading his flock, holding tight to the weakest lambs and guiding the frailest sheep. He guides us to still waters, through valleys, and ultimately to our heavenly home.

So when faced with insurmountable pressures, or a to-do list that reaches beyond allotted time, when weary and heavy in spirit, hold up your arm to the side and cling to a hand that will never let go.

And if you happen to by carrying around a yellow cleaning cloth, you may want to discard it and leave the cleaning to God!