Walking with God (Discipleship Article #3)

  

 

Gen 3:

8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 

 

In Genesis, Adam and Eve represent the entire human community. We are given insight into a very interesting fact: God came to visit Adam and Eve, and his visit is pictured in such a way as to indicate that this was a regular, if not daily, occurrence. In the past, "hearing" that God had come to fellowship with them would have been a delight. Now, after their disobedience, it made them afraid.

 

In short, we were created, first of all, to have a relationship with God. This relationship while personal, is also communal. It is also intimate. But for Adam and Eve to have fellowship with God, they also had to be present and engaged.

 

It is often said in life that "what we put into a task or relationship is what we will likely get out of it". This is certainly also true in our spiritual life and discipline.

 

Daniel 6:

10 Although Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its upper room open towards Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously. 

 

The idea we get for regular, daily prayer comes first from the Old Testament and the worship of the Old Covenant People of God. There were different times for prayer during different periods in the life of the people of Israel. Daniel had made it his practice to pray at morning, mid-day, and evening. He is positioned as someone who sought God, had spiritual power, and remained faithful to the Lord in the midst of hostile circumstances.

 

What time do we make for prayer and meditation (which, in our time in history, means that we can meditate on a complete copy of Holy Scripture)?

 

I submit to you that the Holy Scriptures and the Christian Tradition encourage us that to be "strong in the Lord" this kind of regular spiritual discipline is vital to our faithfulness and joy.