Walk with God

And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 
James 2:23 (NIV)

What does it feel like to walk beside a good friend? 

Nobody’s grading how you walk, and neither person is walking in front of or behind the other. Your walking partner isn’t standing off to the side barking orders at you like a drill sergeant. You walk together, talk easily, and head the same direction.

That is what it means to walk with God. Some of us leave Him behind because we’re trying to prove something. Others treat Him like an angry employer, always demanding more from us. But there is a different way, and Abraham finds it: “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend” (James 2:23, NIV).

Did you know God calls you His friend? In John 15:15, Jesus said, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (NIV). You talk easily with a friend and listen as much as you talk. And you go in the same direction together.

I walked out of the theater I got saved in at 9 years old, and for the first time I did not just know about Jesus. I knew Him. But I know Him even better today, decades later, not because I studied harder, but because I have walked with Him longer.

Walking with God is not a task list, but a daily conversation. Tomorrow morning, before you ask God for one thing, ask Him a question instead. Then stay quiet long enough to listen. 

You were never meant to spend your life proving yourself to God or clock in like He is your boss. You were made to walk beside Him like a friend all the way home.

Prayer: God, I don’t want to just work for You or perform for You. I want to walk with You. Teach me to listen as much as I talk, and give me the courage to obey what I hear. In Jesus’ name, Amen.