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.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
Jeremiah 6:16 NIV
Stand.
Look.
Ask.
Walk.
Rest.
And then the cringy last sentence of that verse. Rebellion.
I love the instruction God gives to His people through the prophet Jeremiah. I treasure the promise of finding rest and peace when walking in obedience to the Lord. But then that silly last sentence that seems so out of place. Why did the writer not move that sentence to verse 17? Why couldn’t we just box that little nugget “16” in a nice package with a big colorful bow and call it good?
Because is we are honest with ourselves, this is the nature of our hearts. We constantly live in the tension of knowing what to do, believing in the promises if we do it, but ultimately deciding our way is better.
I could go on and on about this passage, but I just want to leave it here. I encourage you to think about each of the six stand-alone words above.
- What word stands out to you?
- Why?
- Is God saying something to you personally?
- If so, what is He saying?
Now take a breath and read on.
The Road Not Taken
By: Robert Frost
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;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:14-15 NIV
The road less traveled is a tough and challenging path. Asking for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and then walking in it, not easy. But oh the promise that awaits.
You will find rest for your souls; the road that leads to life. And that will make all the difference.
With love and prayers,
Krista
(2016, December 1). The Road Not Taken. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved July 26, 2023, from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken
