Inspire, Spring 2009

26 spring 2009 Staying in Step With God by Dr. Dan Estes ’74 “ W atch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:26–27 Get a Head Start on College and Save Money! June 13–26, 2009 1-800-CEDARVILLE (233-2784) www.cedarville.edu/summerstudies Study with top professors, earn college credit, and enjoy two weeks of dorm life this summer ... all for just $994. When you head for home, you’ll remember Cedarville as a place of new friends, exciting possibilities, and life-changing experiences ... and you will be ready for the transition to college life! C E D A RV I L L E U N I V E R S I T Y I was just six years old when I first attended Vacation Bible School. There in the basement of our church, I learned a chorus that has deeply influenced my life ever since: Walking with Jesus, Walking every day, walking all the way, Walking with Jesus, Walking with Jesus alone. Even as a child, I could begin to understand what it means to walk with God. This was my first sense of what has been called a long obedience in a single direction. Ever since that time, I have been intrigued by the biblical metaphor of the godly walk. I have often reflected on the lives of Enoch and Noah, both of whom are described in Genesis as men who walked with God. The more I have learned about walking with God, the more I have come to realize how essential this concept is for growing in the Christian life. Proverbs 4:26–27 cautions, “Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil.” When we walk with God, we need to stay on His path. If we insist on taking our own way, then we are no longer walking with Him. As we walk with God, we must also stay at His pace. In our impatience, we often are tempted to dash ahead of God. At other times, our fears may cause us to lag behind Him. Walking with God means that we stay on God’s path because we trust Him for our destination. Walking with God also means that we stay at God’s pace because we trust Him for each item on His itinerary for us. God may choose to surprise us on our journey with Him, but when we walk with God, we must humbly accept what He has planned for us, rather than insisting on our own way. The godly walk stays in step with God. This principle has many important implications for our lives. As we walk with God, we seek His direction. Instead of asking Him to ratify the plans we have made, we give Him a blank slate as we ask Him to reveal His plan to us. Walking with God also means adopting God’s desires as our own. Rather than insisting on what we think we want, we live by the truth of Psalm 37:4, which teaches that when we delight ourselves in the Lord, He gives us what our hearts truly desire. In doing that, we discover that God knows our hearts better than we ourselves do. As we walk with God, we learn how to delight in the joy of His companionship. God made us in His image so that we could enjoy fellowship with Him. When we faithfully stay in step with God, we are able to delight in Him in ever-deepening ways. Dr. Dan Estes ’74 serves as distinguished professor of Bible. You may contact him at estesd@cedarville.edu. “As we walk with God, we learn how to delight in the joy of His companionship.”