March 20

I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. — Ps 116:9 BSB

There is a difference between walking before God and walking with God. To walk before God is to live with a constant awareness of His watchful eye upon us, desiring to do what pleases Him, walking blamelessly in His ordinances, and living in a manner that is unspotted by the world. It means to live before Him, whether in private or public, alone or in company, in the church or the world, day or night, as though His glorious majesty were constantly before our eyes.

If we were to carry this deep, daily awareness that God sees every thought, marks every movement, hears every word, and observes every action, it would place a restraint upon our lightness and folly. We would watch our thoughts, words, and actions as those who live under the constant gaze of God’s searching eye. This is what it means to walk before God.

But we read that Enoch “walked with God.” This is a higher stage of the divine life. To walk with God is to live in sweet fellowship with Him, in holy confidence, with a blessed sense of a saving interest in His love and grace. It is to walk with Him as a friend walks with a friend, sharing close, intimate communion. Some walk before God, but how few truly walk with God! Many live with a deep sense of God’s presence, yet they do not enter into this intimate fellowship or enjoy the blessedness of walking in heavenly communion with Him.