Article September 12, 1988 Issue

Walking with God

Even this well-known spiritual activity gains freshness and clarity as it is viewed from new perspectives.

Clifford Kapps Eriksen

An Australian aborigine, a landscape painter, and an apostle form an unlikely trio, but there is a thread that unites them and hints at a clear insight for mankind's spiritual growth.

The aborigine at some point in his life yields to the call of the "walkabout"—an impulsion to spend time in the wilderness absorbing the mysteries of his environment and culture. The painter is, in a manner of speaking, appealing to the careful observer to "walk around" mentally in his painting in order to appreciate its beautiful, often unfamiliar, scenery. And the Apostle Peter once did a more daring kind of walking when he "walked on" the waves to join Christ Jesus. He would have sunk because of his lack of faith were it not for Jesus' outstretched arm.

Taking "walking" to an even higher perspective, the prophet in Micah asks this thought-provoking question: "What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"^{Mic. 6:8.} Walking with God requires a drawing close to the Father, an acknowledgment of His presence with us at all times. Such closeness necessitates a humble willingness to follow where He leads and to leave behind the earth weights and fears that would encumber our journey. This kind of "walking" heads out in new mental directions and lifts us to horizons of spiritual discovery.

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