Do We Actually Walk with God?

Micah 6:8 He has shown thee, oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Walking. Walking is one of the most basic human actions. Have you ever stopped to contemplate how most everything we do, from getting out of bed in the morning, getting the kids out the door, running errands, going about our work day, meeting with friends, cleaning the garage, making dinner, doing set-up on Sunday morning... all require walking? Anyone who has been injured and laid up for any period of time realizes quite quickly how everything is affected by our inability to walk around! We cheer for our babies when they take their first steps. Why? Because we know they are quite literally one step closer to acquiring one of the most vital skills of life. God refers to walking in 47 books of the Bible and over 200 times in scripture. Over and over again, He calls us to walk with Him, walk in the Spirit, walk in love, and walk in truth. How incredibly kind of Him to describe our dearest relationship with Him in such a simplistic yet crucial metaphor. We get it. We can relate to walking. We can buy into the illustration. It’s fundamental. It’s common. It’s crucial to everyday life. But do we actually walk with God? Have you ever had a walking buddy, or met up with a friend to walk and talk? Or perhaps you like to take an evening stroll with your spouse? Walking together involves a certain level of intimacy. We walk with people we trust. Often, we go on a walk to share our heart or discuss difficulties we’re experiencing. Walking with someone often involves lending a listening ear or receiving or giving counsel. Sometimes we walk together for safety...like walking someone to their car at night. So do we really walk with God in the way He intended when He used this phrase? Do we experience intimacy with Him? Do we deeply trust Him? Do we share our heart and pour out our sorrows? Do we go to Him first for a listening ear? Or to receive counsel? Do we rely on Him for safety and security? This is what walking with our Savior means. In EVERYTHING we do, literally EVERY SINGLE STEP we take each day, we do it WITH Him. We are continually aware of His presence...His Spirit fills us. His thoughts become ours. His motives become ours. His desires become ours. His peace and joy becomes ours. We are always together, walking hand in hand. There is never a “me” time...it’s always “we” time. I have recently been deeply impacted by the thoughts of a devout monk, Brother Lawrence. As a dishwasher in a monastery in the 1600’s, he sought to practice the presence of God in his every waking moment. His writings can be found in the book “The Practice of the Presence of God”. Brother Lawrence was known for his continual communion with the Lord. He stated, “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.” Perhaps that is what God means by “walking with Him”. Throughout every moment of the day, while my mind is occupied with the business of the day and my physical body is carrying out the actions required of me, my HEART is with God. He is as real to me as the shirt on my back. We are together. Communing. Discussing. Encouraging. Working. Teaching. Bearing fruit. Walking...together. My every move throughout every day is an extension of my prayer time, my worship time. My spirit is yielded to His spirit within me. There is no compartmentalizing “time with God” from the rest of my day. It’s all the same. I walk with God.