The next person mentioned in Hebrews 11 is Enoch. But before I continue, I encourage you to read part 1 of this series if you haven’t yet. In Part 1, we talked how Abel bears witness to our walk.
Not a lot is a said about Enoch in the bible. However, the few lines said about him speaks volume.
“It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.”For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.” Hebrews 11:5.
Genesis 5:23-24 tells a bit more.
23 Enoch lived 365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.”
Enoch was a prophet who had children. He had to deal with the pressure, blessings and challenges of being a father and a prophet. The Amplified version describes his fellowship with God as a habitual one. He had a constant and a persistent walk with God. The pressure of life didn’t make him become a visitor to the presence of God. He trusted a God he couldn’t see. He had no 10 commandments, or bible to guide him. The earth was still fairly new and I would like to think that the knowledge of God then wasn’t as much as it is now. Yet his faith in God didn’t waiver. He walked with God so closely that God decided he was too perfect to see death. How amazing!
I would like to believe that it wasn’t all rosy for Enoch. He would have had seasons when he found it hard to ‘feel’ God. He didn’t allow these times to push him away from God. The circumstances of life weren’t strong enough to make him lose sight of God. He managed to find time between his profession, so to speak, and family commitments to nurture his faith.
I believe there is a difference between working for God and walking with God. Many Christians are working for God but very few are walking with God. Working for God cannot guarantee us heaven but walking with God does. It takes humility to walk with God because He leads the way in this kind of relationship.
In the midst of my busyness, do I find time to be still before God? Am I always thinking of what to do next or am I letting God lead me to what to do next?
Is my job, ministry or family distracting me from focusing on God? Has the blessings God has given me become excuses for me to go cold spiritually? The blessings of God are to pull us closer to Him and not to push us away from Him. Before getting that job, spouse, kids, business etc., everything was fine. But now, are you too busy chasing and pleasing the gifts to the point where you have forgotten the Giver? Have I allowed the stress of being a wife, a mum, an employee interrupt my fellowship with God? Am I still using these as an excuse as to why I am always too tired to spend time with God? Has life succeeded in blurring my vision of Him?
It can be challenging but one thing is true. Where my treasure is, there will my heart be (hard truth).
Enoch bears witness to this. Enoch proves that it is doable; that I can have a persistent walk with God even with my busy life. Enoch walked with God in faith, believing that his walk wasn’t going to be in vain. I believe this because he must have had a goal that kept him focused.
So if God and Enoch looks at my walk, will Enoch testify for or against me?
At the moment, the answer to mine isn’t a very good one. So I am shifting my focus to what truly matters. I am building everything around God. At the moment, I ensure I create time everyday to spend with God. This has to continue and I need to make sure that all of this is done in faith believing that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently.
How about you? Are you pulling your weight in this area? If not, what are you decisions? Let me know in the comment session below.
Thanks for reading. Remember to visit tomorrow as we look at another hero of faith – Noah.
-Efua is a mentor and blogger. You can read more from her on her blog Grace Over Pain.