Introduction

If you’ve ever taken a slow walk with someone you love, you know the wonder of it. The world rushes, but your pace becomes conversation, companionship, and comfort. You notice what you’d miss at a sprint—the birdsong, the breeze, the steady presence at your side. Scripture tells us of a man who didn’t sprint through life, didn’t stumble for the spotlight, and didn’t settle for surface-level religion. He walked. He walked with God. His name was Enoch.

Enoch’s story is tucked like a bright gem in a quiet corner of Genesis. It shines all the more because our age, like his, is loud. Our headlines are heavy, our schedules crowded, our hearts weary. And yet here is this testimony that still sings across the centuries: Enoch walked with God. Simple words, strong hope. Could that be your story? Could that be mine? What might change if, rather than striving for greatness, we simply stayed in step with the One who is great? What would courage look like in your cubicle, in your classroom, in your kitchen, if you knew God’s arm was linked with yours?

J. I. Packer once wrote, "Theology is for doxology and devotion—that is, the praise of God and the practice of godliness." That is the kind of faith Enoch models—not a shelf of ideas, but a life of intimacy; not just information about God, but a steady walk with God. When the culture around him spiraled toward self, Enoch chose a quiet, consistent, courageous companionship with the Lord. And in that daily decision—step by step, yes by yes—he found what our hearts long for: a life that pleases God.

Perhaps today you’re carrying questions: Can faith still flourish in a harsh world? Can obedience outlast opposition? Can my small, ordinary steps matter? Friend, the Scriptures answer with a resounding yes. Enoch’s life is a holy whisper to hurried souls: Keep walking. Your Father sees. Your Father smiles. Your Father sustains.

Let’s hear the Word:

Genesis 5:21-24 (KJV) 21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Hebrews 11:5 (KJV) 5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Jude 1:14 (KJV) 14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

Opening Prayer: Father, we quiet our hearts before You. Thank You for the witness of Enoch, a man who walked with You when the world was walking away. By Your Spirit, teach us to take steady steps of trust today. Where we are hurried, slow us with Your peace. Where we are fearful, steady us with Your faithfulness. Where we are weary, strengthen us with Your nearness. Open our ears to Your voice, our eyes to Your beauty, and our wills to Your ways. May our lives bring You pleasure as we walk in obedience and love. In the name of Jesus, our faithful Friend and King, amen.

Devotion to God in a hostile culture

Life with God can hold steady even when the world feels harsh. The text does not give us headlines or details about Enoch’s day, but it does give us a clear picture of his life with the Lord. He kept company with God. He stayed near. He made that choice again and again. That is the shape of devotion when pressures rise. Quiet. Consistent. Real.

"Walked with God." That phrase in Genesis is simple, yet full. A walk is close. You stay near enough to hear. You move at a pace you can keep. You keep step with the one beside you. That is how Scripture talks about Enoch. His life was a long yes in the same direction.

A walk also means agreement. You do not pull away. You do not rush ahead. You share the same path. Devotion sounds grand, but it lives in daily choices. Words we say. Work we do. Thoughts we allow. Sins we confess. People we serve. The walk is where trust gets hands and feet.

Notice how the text repeats the phrase. It says he walked with God. Then it says it again. That repetition is a window. God wants us to see the pattern, not an event. A pattern takes patience. It takes listening. It takes saying yes in small things when no one is clapping. That is how a heart stays steady when the world is loud.

And look at the timing. Genesis says he began this long walk “after he begat Methuselah.” Real life pressed in. He had a household. Work to do. Years to count. Devotion did not grow in a quiet cabin away from people. It grew around meals, children, and the tug of many needs.

This helps us. Many think closeness with God is for empty calendars. Enoch shows another way. A full life can still be a Godward life. You can pray while you fold laundry. You can obey God at a desk. You can honor God in traffic. You can keep step with him while you carry real weight. The scene is ordinary. The choice is holy.

Genesis also attaches a number to his years. Three hundred years after Methuselah came. That is long faithfulness. Walking that long means there were slow days and hard days. It means there were tears and tasks. Yet the line still stands. He walked with God. Length does not weaken love when love is kept warm.

Then the text surprises us. “He was not, for God took him.” The pattern of the chapter changes at Enoch’s name. Others end the same way. Enoch ends another way. The Lord cut the cord between him and the grave. Devotion does not earn this gift, but it shows where Enoch’s heart was aimed. God brought him near. God kept him.

Hebrews helps us read that line. It says Enoch did not see death because God took him. It also tells us the key to his life. Faith. Before he was taken, he had a witness. He pleased God. This is the center of devotion in rough times. Trust God. Rely on him. Take him at his word. Keep going when proof seems thin.

Faith is more than saying true things. Faith leans. Faith rests its weight on God’s character. When the path is dim, faith keeps step because God is steady. When prayers seem slow, faith still speaks to him because he listens. When temptations press, faith looks for a way out because God is faithful. This is how a person pleases God.

Hebrews says God gave Enoch a testimony. People around him could see something real. Not flash. Not noise. A nearness that shaped choices. A peace that did not come from ease. A courage that did not come from willpower. The Lord marks a life that trusts him. He says so. He bears witness to it.

Faith also seeks God. The very next verse in Hebrews tells us that those who come to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Enoch did not treat God as a topic. He treated God as a person to be with. He sought him. He found him faithful. That is the way to live clean in a messy day.

Jude adds one more piece. Enoch “the seventh from Adam” spoke about the Lord’s coming. He did not hide his hope. He named the future. He told the truth about God bringing holy ones with him. Devotion grows a voice. It gives clear words when the times are murky.

This matters. Love for God is never only private. It spills into speech. It names God’s right to judge. It names God’s mercy for sinners who turn. It names the end toward which all things move. Enoch’s words were not soft fog. They were steady light. He spoke of the Lord’s arrival with many saints. He spoke in a way that called people to wake up.

To speak like this in a harsh world, the heart must stay warm. That warmth comes from walking close. You cannot talk well of a God you will not meet with. Enoch’s lips were fed by his life with God. His message held weight because his days held faithfulness. People may resist, but the word stands. The Lord will come. The Lord will set things right.

So devotion gives two gifts at once. It keeps you near to God and it keeps you useful to people. Nearness keeps you soft. Usefulness keeps you bold. You carry the name of God into rooms that forgot him. You carry his warnings and his comforts. You carry hope that is anchored in his promise to come.

In the end, Enoch shows us a way to live when the winds are fierce. Stay near. Keep step. Trust God’s heart. Speak God’s words. And let him write the end of the story.

Faith that pleases God and endures

Faith that pleases God and endures shows up in the words Moses chose ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO