24/7/365

God desires a relationship with you. It’s the reason you were made—your first and foremost purpose in life. If you are looking for the essence, the key, the bottom line, look no further. This is the whole of it: to be in a relationship with God.

There was one man in particular in ancient history that had this down. His name was Enoch. In fact, the only thing we know about him is that he was in close fellowship with God. Need we know anything else?

“Enoch lived 365 years in all. [I don’t think this number is a coincidence. It implies a year of years, and gives the impression of continuance.] He enjoyed a close relationship with God throughout his life. Then suddenly, he disappeared because God took him” (Genesis 5:23-24 NLT). No, he wasn’t a magician. This was no disappearing act. It was a way of saying that he was one of the few people recorded in scripture who did not face death. God just took him—body and all—into heaven.

How do you do that, I wonder? How do you get that close to God? Well, earlier English translations of the Bible say that he walked with God. I think that simple picture says it all. When you walk with someone, you walk, and you talk, and you share everything you see and experience together. There’s a certain peace in this picture.

I remember a popular book a number of years ago titled “Are You Running With Me, Jesus?” Even the title suggests that maybe Jesus is not running with us because the question has to be asked. Maybe we are moving too fast for Him. Not that He couldn’t run with us, but does He want to? I think He’d prefer to walk. Walking infers enough time to notice what’s happening, to reflect on things, and talk about them as you go. Maybe that’s what it means to be in a close relationship with God—to be aware of His presence always and share everything with Him. Isn’t it amazing to think that this is all He wants?

He wants this more than a perfect life. He wants this more than a perfect marriage. He wants this more than a great ministry. He just wants to share in everything with us. He wants us to be conscious of Him and worship Him with the daily living of our lives.

And then Enoch disappeared. What that means is, one day he and God were walking, like they always did, and they just walked off the map. That was it. No big deal for Enoch. He just kept on doing what he always did. Right into heaven.