In this chapter of Hebrews, the author discusses faith. He not only explains that faith is hope for the future and that God will fulfil His promises, but he also provides examples of great men of faith from the past. Here he talks about Enoch.

Enoch lived in a very wicked time, and the people lived far from God. But Enoch was different and believed in God with everything in him. He did God’s will on earth and a very special relationship developed between him and God.

As a result, God fetched him in a very special way.

⁵By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. “They looked all over and couldn’t find him because God had taken him.” We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken “he pleased God.”

One moment, people still saw Enoch walking around on earth, and the next he was gone. How awesome that Enoch was able to skip death and go directly to God! Only he, Elijah and Jesus went to heaven in this way.

When you walk a special journey with God and your faith is strong, even when circumstances do not look good, you and God will also enjoy special moments.

Actually, this is obvious. When I regularly make time for my family or friends, we get to know one another and we grow closer to one another. We can hear one another’s hearts. If I have a problem, I know I can phone my friends anytime, night or day. Within minutes they’ll be knocking at the front door with whatever I needed.

We must work hard on our relationship with God, because in that relationship God hears our heart. He hears our desires. And even more, in this relationship, we hear God’s heart and get to know His will.

And when things are hard, God is there to give us wisdom and strength. If the doors close, He shows us the open window. Obviously, He cares, because He has a special relationship with us.

There is something else about Enoch that caught my attention. Enoch was exactly 365 years old when God fetched him in that special way. The number of days in a year. The number of days in a year that we have to make an effort with the way we walk with God.

We should not attempt even one day without God, because outside that intimate relationship with God, we can easily succumb to the daily temptations of the world around us. For 365 days non-stop, year-by-year, we must serve our Father in faith.

Scripture
Hebrews 11:1-6

Reflection
How strong is your faith?
How close to God are you walking?
For a full year?

Prayer
Father, I cannot tackle even one day without You. Please help me to remember this. I really need Your loving presence and Your guidance. Please let me hunger and thirst for You more and more. In Jesus’ Name, amen.