Walking with God: Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Christian's Daily Communion
In an age of spiritual superficiality and religious formalism, few themes strike at the heart of authentic Christianity quite like the concept of walking with God. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his characteristically penetrating style, devoted careful attention to this vital truth, particularly through his exposition of Enoch's life recorded in Hebrews 11:5-6. His sermon on walking with God remains a clarion call to believers who long for something more than mere religious observance—those who hunger for genuine, transforming communion with the living God.
The Foundation: What Does Walking with God Mean?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones begins by establishing the biblical foundation for understanding this profound relationship. Drawing from Genesis 5:24—"Enoch walked with God"—he unfolds a picture that transcends mere theological concepts and enters the realm of lived experience. Walking with God, he explains, is not simply believing certain doctrines about God or maintaining a moral lifestyle. Rather, it represents a conscious, continuous awareness of God's presence that permeates every aspect of daily life.
The image itself is instructive. When two people walk together, there is companionship, conversation, and shared purpose. They move in the same direction, matching their pace to one another. Similarly, Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that walking with God involves this intimate fellowship—knowing that we are in His presence, speaking to Him, listening to Him, and ordering our lives according to His will.
This is remarkably different from the common religious experience of many. Dr. Lloyd-Jones observes that countless people believe in God's existence and even pray occasionally, yet they do not walk with God. They treat Him as a distant figure to be called upon in emergencies rather than a constant companion. The distinction is crucial: walking with God is not an occasional visit to a divine acquaintance but a daily, moment-by-moment communion with our Creator.
The Secret: Living by Faith
At the heart of Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon on walking with God lies the principle of faith. Hebrews 11:6 declares, "Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Dr. Lloyd-Jones unpacks this verse with characteristic thoroughness, showing that faith is absolutely foundational to walking with God.
But what does this faith entail? Dr. Lloyd-Jones is careful to distinguish biblical faith from mere intellectual assent or philosophical speculation. He explains that "he that cometh to God must believe that he is" means far more than acknowledging God's existence. It means accepting and submitting to God's revelation of Himself—believing that He is exactly who He has declared Himself to be in Scripture: the covenant-keeping God, the holy and righteous Judge, the merciful Savior.
Furthermore, believing "that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" involves trusting in God's gracious purpose of redemption. Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this is not a reference to earning God's favor through good works. Rather, it speaks to God's promise of salvation, His plan to redeem fallen humanity through His Son. From the very beginning, in the Garden of Eden, God announced His redemptive purpose—that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head. Enoch believed this revelation and ordered his life accordingly.
The Practice: Setting the Lord Always Before Us
One of the most practical aspects of Dr. Lloyd-Jones' teaching on walking with God comes through his exposition of Psalm 16:8: "I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Here he provides concrete guidance for believers seeking to cultivate this walk.
The word "set" is particularly significant. It implies deliberate, determined action. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that we must actively, consciously place God before us—reminding ourselves of His presence, His character, and His promises. This is not something that happens automatically or passively. It requires intentionality and discipline. As he powerfully states: "I have set the Lord always before me. When you feel the exact opposite, you must insist upon it. You must do this thing. You must take yourself in hand, and you set him before you. And you speak to him."
How do we practice this? Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers several essential means:
Daily Scripture reading stands paramount. God has revealed Himself in His Word, and the more we immerse ourselves in Scripture, the more we come to know Him. Dr. Lloyd-Jones strongly advocates systematic Bible reading—going through the entire Bible regularly rather than randomly selecting favorite passages.
Prayer forms another crucial component. This is not merely reciting requests but actually communing with God—speaking to Him and, equally important, listening to Him. Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that our Lord Himself, when He walked this earth, spent extended periods in prayer, getting up before dawn and sometimes spending entire nights in communion with the Father.
Meditation on spiritual truths throughout the day keeps God before us. Rather than allowing our minds to be captivated by worldly concerns, we deliberately turn our thoughts to God, His Word, and His works. Dr. Lloyd-Jones urges believers to practice what he calls "the art of recollection," explaining: "It means that I consciously, deliberately and actively speak to myself about myself and about my relationship to God. It means that when I wake up in the morning, before I allow myself to think about anything else, I say to myself again, you are a child of God and an heir of eternity."
Reading Christian biography provides powerful examples of those who have walked closely with God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones frequently emphasized the value of reading about the saints of the past, observing that "there is nothing more important next to the reading of the scriptures themselves, which is more profitable in the christian life than a careful, constant reading and study of christian biography."
The Characteristics: What Walking with God Looks Like
Dr. Lloyd-Jones paints a vivid picture of what characterizes those who walk with God. First and foremost, they possess an experimental knowledge of God—not merely information about Him but personal, intimate acquaintance with Him. Like Enoch, they can say with confidence that God is with them, that He is pleased with them, that they enjoy His favor.
This produces a distinctive lifestyle. The person walking with God lives in constant awareness of His presence. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that such a person reminds himself upon waking: "God is, and I am, and God is there." This consciousness affects everything—our decisions, our reactions to circumstances, our treatment of others, our use of time. We cannot go anywhere or do anything outside God's presence, and this realization transforms how we live.
Moreover, those who walk with God are characterized by holiness. They cannot persist in sin while claiming to walk in fellowship with the Holy One. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." To walk with God means to walk in the light, deliberately avoiding everything that displeases Him and pursuing what delights Him.
Yet this holiness is not burdensome legalism. Rather, it flows from love. The person walking with God doesn't merely avoid sin out of duty but out of desire—the desire to please the One who has redeemed them, who loves them, who walks beside them. Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that God's commandments are "not grievous" to those who love Him. The motivation is not fear of punishment but love for the Person.
The Privilege: The Greatest Gift
Perhaps most movingly, Dr. Lloyd-Jones speaks of walking with God as the supreme privilege of the Christian life. "What a privilege," he exclaims. "That you and I can live and walk in fellowship with God." This is the essence of what Christ accomplished through His death and resurrection—removing the barrier of sin that separated us from God and opening the way for intimate communion with our Creator.
The tragedy, Dr. Lloyd-Jones observes, is that we need to be reminded of this privilege. We who have been granted access to the Father through Christ Jesus often live as though this were a small thing. We become preoccupied with lesser matters, caught up in the busyness and anxieties of life, forgetting the extraordinary reality that we can walk with God.
The Result: Assurance and Victory
Those who walk with God, like Enoch, receive testimony that they please Him. This is the assurance every believer should possess—not arrogant presumption but humble confidence grounded in God's own witness. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and this assurance comes most powerfully to those who maintain close fellowship with Him through walking with God daily.
Furthermore, this walk provides strength for facing life's challenges. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points to the circumstances in which Enoch lived—the corrupt, godless world before the flood, an environment perhaps not unlike our own. Yet Enoch walked with God faithfully. When we walk with God, we find that "temptations lose their power when thou art nigh." The trials of life, the disappointments and sorrows, cannot ultimately shake us because we are not alone—God is at our right hand.
The Ultimate Destiny: Taken Home
The account of Enoch concludes with these remarkable words: "Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." Dr. Lloyd-Jones beautifully illustrates this with a memorable image of faithful companionship extending into eternity. After walking with God for hundreds of years, enjoying His fellowship daily, there came a day when the pattern changed. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones poignantly describes it: "God had never been so loving. God had never been so kind, and Enoch had never been so happy. But the time came, the usual time, for God to say, very well, I must leave you at that for today, and we'll meet again tomorrow. But God didn't say that on this occasion. He said, Enoch…, he said, we've been doing this now so long together. You enjoy it. I enjoy it. I'm not going to say to you tonight what I've generally said. Go home and rest and sleep and get up and do your work and look for me tomorrow. Enoch, he said, come with me."
This is the destiny of all who walk with God. Death loses its terror for those who have been walking in fellowship with the Lord all their lives. It becomes not a fearful end but a glorious transition—the continuation and perfection of the walk we have been enjoying all along.
A Call to Action
Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon on walking with God is not merely theoretical exposition but a passionate call to action. He challenges his hearers to examine their lives: Do we truly walk with God? Is this conscious fellowship the reality of our daily experience? Or have we settled for something less—a formal religion that lacks the power and vitality of genuine communion with the living God?
The secret, he reminds us, is determination coupled with faith. We must resolve to set the Lord always before us, to seek His face diligently, to order our lives around this supreme priority. We must believe that God is who He says He is and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
This is not a call to perfection—Dr. Lloyd-Jones acknowledges our weakness and our need for grace. But it is a call to pursue what matters most: knowing God and walking in fellowship with Him. For in the end, nothing else compares to this privilege. No earthly pleasure, no human achievement, no temporal success can match the joy of walking with God.
As Dr. Lloyd-Jones memorably concludes, this walk that begins on earth continues throughout eternity. And when that final day comes, when God says "Come home," we can enter His presence not as strangers but as those who have known and walked with Him all our days—forever with the Lord. This is the Christian's hope, the believer's assurance, and the reward of those who diligently seek Him.
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