Do You Walk with God?

DO YOU walk with God? Relatively few people do today. Instead, they want God to walk with them, to go their way and bless them in their course, rather than changing their course to conform to his way. They have the matter turned completely around. They will not obey God’s voice, they will not receive correction from him, but through special prayers, or medals or image worship they want God to help them in the course they have chosen to take and to help them solve their personal problems.

In the Bible book of Genesis you can read of the faithful man Enoch: “Enoch kept walking with the God.” And of Noah it says: “Noah was a righteous man. He proved himself faultless among his contemporaries. Noah walked with the God.” What did these men do to walk with God? They walked God’s way. They followed the leadership he set, rather than expecting him to follow them. They did what God instructed, rather than expecting him to do what they wanted.—Gen. 5:24; 6:9, NW.

In a course just the opposite of theirs, men today do not want to accept God’s guidance. They think they know better. They cast the Bible aside, ignoring God’s instructions and rejecting the true doctrines contained in his Word. The result? Dr. Ralph W. Sockman of New York’s Christ Church Methodist said “adoration” for God is sadly lacking, and: “Statistics may prove our efficiency, but not necessarily our closeness to God.”

To walk with God you must accept his leadership. You must walk his way rather than expecting him to bless your way. How do you learn and follow his way? By examining his Word, following its instructions and making straight paths for your feet.

Jehovah showed the Israelites that they could not go just any way and still receive his blessing. He said: “My judicial decisions you should carry out and my statutes you should keep so as to walk in them. I am Jehovah your God.” He also said that if they would “walk after other gods and serve them and bow down to them” they would “absolutely perish.” The same holds true today when men are walking in all sorts of directions, with little or no concern over what Jehovah says is really right.—Lev. 18:4; Deut. 8:19, NW.

When the Israelites rejected Jehovah’s right way, refused to follow him and wandered off into paths of their own, the prophet wrote: “Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted! to the oppressing city! She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in Jehovah; she drew not near to her God. Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they leave nothing till the morrow.”—Zeph. 3:1-3, AS.

A shocking account, but it was in that shameless nation that meek and teachable persons who would “call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one consent” were to be found, and the same is true in today’s world, where meek and teachable men of humility are to be found in a world that has rebelled.—Zeph. 3:9, AS.

Are you such a person? Are you willing to follow God’s way, to accept his instructions and to conform to them? Tens, yes hundreds of thousands of persons today are coming out of the proud and shameless system, and, like Enoch and Noah, in meekness and humility are walking with God. Not only that, but they extend to you a hearty invitation to join with them in this course that leads to the greatest blessings and happiness, and that will put you in the way of everlasting life. Will you heed that invitation?