Over the centuries a group of people has arisen who were willing to do whatever was necessary to have a passionate, intimate relationship with God. This stream finds its headwaters in a man named Enoch, who lived in the days prior to the Great Flood. We don’t know a great deal about Enoch, except that he fathered a son named Methuselah (Gen. 5:21), walked with God three hundred years (Gen. 5:24), was a prophet (Jude 14-15), and was taken by God (Gen. 5:24). God enjoyed their walk together so much that he opened up the portal between heaven and earth and Enoch climbed up a little higher until he arrived at God’s home in heaven. Enoch never died—God took (translated or raptured) him.

That simple sentence, “And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him,” fascinates me. It raises all kinds of questions and creates countless scenarios if you will just let your mind race a little. The problem is we tend to go to the second half of the verse instead of pondering the first half. We like the part about God taking, but we tend to miss the part about Enoch walking. The key is found in the walk.

What did they talk about? Where did they go? What did they see? Did they have a special place and a specific time to meet? How long did they spend together each day—an hour, a couple of hours, or all day? What was it like?

It is apparent that their relationship never became stale or boring because both of them showed up every day for three hundred years. That’s a long time! They simply lived life together and that’s really what relationship is all about. Step-by-step and arm-in-arm they walked through the day no matter the situation or circumstance that was to be faced..

Another clue to this relationship is Enoch’s designation as a prophet. Being a prophet is far more than just foretelling the future, even though that’s about all most of us think about when we see or hear that word. No, there’s far more here than meets the eye. Enoch may have possessed the gift of prophecy and held the office of prophet, but a true prophet of God is far more than that. Enoch and God had spent so much time together that a deep friendship developed, one where transparency was natural and secrets were revealed. God shared his secrets with Enoch, who held them in a quiet confidence until God told him to speak. The definition of prophesy is to listen for what God is saying and then speak the message that is heard. Enoch’s intimacy with God developed his spiritual ears to the place where he could hear the whispers of God’s heart.

Listening is a lost ability in most of us. We love to talk but we don’t listen very well. In fact, the average length of time a person is willing to listen during a conversation is fifteen seconds. To hear the heart and learn the secrets of God will take far more than fifteen seconds here and there. We have two ears and one mouth, so creation tells us we should listen twice as much as we talk, but that rarely happens. Enoch learned to listen as he walked with God and God shared with him what would happen centuries later during the end times.

True relationship involves conversation, which by nature is a dialogue not a monologue. God enjoyed the conversation of their relationship so much that one day he decided not to end it for the day. Instead God took Enoch back to heaven with him so their conversation would never end.

Enoch was the first of many who have pursued God with an intense passion. He became a friend and trusted companion who is an example of what a true relationship really is. Enoch’s walk with God began with the first step and yours can too. Just take a step, join the conversation with God, and listen. You never know where your little walk may end up.