I WILL WALK AMONG YOU
“And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.” Leviticus 26:12
This verse of Scripture is a promise that was given to Israel, provided they obey God, avoid idolatry, keep the sabbath, etc. If they did not walk in His statutes, they would experience God’s chastisement. One of the wonderful things about this verse is that it reveals God’s love for man and His desire to fellowship with man. This thought defies comprehension; that Almighty God, in all of His holiness, would want to have companionship with lowly creatures like us. This has been His intention from the beginning. God walked with the first man, Adam. He obviously walked with many other individuals as well. He stood with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. His presence accompanied the nation of Israel, manifested as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
In the New Testament, we see Immanuel, our Savior Jesus Christ, walking with men. He came to His disciples walking on the water. His promise to those of us who are saved is that He will never leave us nor forsake us, and that He would be with us always. We see Jesus in the Book of Revelation walking among the candlesticks, which are His churches. God wants to walk with His creation. This is the great tragedy of sin: those who are unsaved will be separated from God both for time and for eternity. The good news is that God loves us. He wants to walk with us. He wants to be closer to us than we might imagine. The God who made the universe desires our companionship.
The sins that have separated us from God’s fellowship can be forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ. This is our privilege as born again children of God. The Holy Spirit indwells us and Jesus is our Friend. By faith, we can walk with Him. Not only is this the greatest privilege in life, it is also a solemn responsibility. Fulfilling our purpose in life demands that we walk in closeness to God. Sometimes the Bible calls this “abiding” in Him. As we abide in Him, we are able to know and follow His will, our prayers are answered, and we experience the joy that only an obedient Christian can know.
As we serve Christ, we are co-laborers with the Lord and for the Lord in the greatest work in the world. Are you walking with God today? His promise to walk among us is realized as we follow His will and obey His word.