Jeremiah 6:16 – “This is what the Lord says, ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls…”
The crossroads can be a difficult place in life. It is especially difficult for those who angst at decision making and want someone else to do the choosing for them. The opening stanza of Frost’s The Road Not Taken is a commentary on many a life:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
Life is affected by which path you decide to take. So make sure you stand there a very long time and look down each path as far as you can, and then decide. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13,14 – “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
So, which path do you take? Our devotion gives some great advice. First, ask for the ancient path. These are tried and true places. The degree of difficulty is not in question here. We are not asking for the easier path, we are asking for the ancient path. The ancient paths are rich and full of life- giving principles to help us stay true on our journey.
Second, ask for the good way. There is a good path and a bad path; a wide gate and a smaller gate; a broad way and a narrow way. Choose the good way. The result, according to our scripture today, is that you will find rest for your souls.
Frost ended up taking the road less traveled and according to him, that choice made all the difference.