The Ancient Paths

Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads and look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, and find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16 ESV)

Each moment there are many paths you can take.  We need to take the time to look and ask God to reveal His way to us.  There are paths that lead to idols and paths that lead to God.  I looked at my own life and when I lost the way.  I realized shifts took place.  A path started out leading toward God but it took detours until something else was the end of the path in my mind.  Stepping out in faith and following God in a new relationship but then the relationship becomes the end in my mind.  Stepping out in faith to begin a new job but then my role, reputation, and success in that job becomes the end in my mind.  I thought of how when I seek my own happiness, my own anything, I become unhappy.  In this attitude, everything I do is a tool for “happiness” but in going that direction, I find no rest for my soul.

Every moment we are faced with decisions.  How often do we stand by all these possible roads and take the time to look and ask for the ancient path, the good way?  What do you seek when youchoose your path?  We are all seeking, we are all worshiping.  What is the end in your mind?  What are you journeying toward?  I think nothing in this life is evil in and of itself.  I think the journey toward the cross can take many paths.  A path of marriage.  A path of being single.  A path of being a missionary.  A path of working a 9 to 5 job.  A path of raising children.  A path of being competitive at a sport.

But sometimes we think the path is the destination.  I will be happy when: I am married, I am single, I have a good job, I have children, I accomplish my goals, etc.  We journey toward these things, we idolize them in our minds.  We use people to achieve them.  We try to use God to achieve them.  We use all our resources to achieve them.  And we get stuck and wonder why life feels so empty and we find no rest for our souls.  We have forgotten the ancient path, the good way. It leads to the Eternal.  It leads to the Everlasting.  We can follow that path through marriage, through being single, through all our relationships, through our work, through everything. 

Every moment we are faced with decisions.  We can love or hate.  We can covet or we can give.  We can use other people to serve our idolatrous paths or we can serve them as we journey toward the cross together.  Unlike idolatrous Israel did from this passage from Jeremiah, I hope you look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.