This is one of my favorite Bible verses:

“And Enoch walked with God.” (Gen. 5:24)

A short, simple verse, impossible not to memorize. So short that I do not even have to write a musical jingle to remember it.

But there’s a whole lot of significance in these five words.

I’ve read this verse many, many times. Simply glossed over it in the boring recitation of who begat who and how long each descendant of Adam lived.

But one day this verse stood out in my mind. As though God had stopped me to point out the power of “walk.”

What does it mean to walk with God? I wondered what Enoch must have been like. Was he a particularly spiritual man, a philosopher, a thinker, a nature man, a dreamer?

Or maybe he was a practical man, most likely a man who worked with his hands. A hunter, gatherer, planter, harvester. Like the the shepherd king, David, whatever his work entailed gave him time for reflection and communication with God.

But I also think that God, in His sovereignty, had chosen Enoch for this special “walk.”

I think Enoch talked to God about everything. And beyond talking, he liked to listen for God’s response. He delighted in hearing God’s voice. He prioritized listening to God’s voice. Over all the other voices clamoring for his attention: his wife and children, his friends, the urgent needs of the day.

I once read a short quote which has stuck in mind. “You’re too busy not to pray.”

If Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, why do we think we can separate ourselves, even for a short time, from our vine?

So, I think that is the key to Enoch’s “walk.”

Enoch understood the importance of that branch-to-vine connection, walking close to his God. Talking, listening, explaining, pleading, praising, surrendering, obeying, having the consciousness of God’s presence at all times. And when it was time for Enoch’s life to be over on earth, God simply took him to heaven. Amazing and precious.

Oh, I would love to be like Enoch.