Beyond the Crossroads

When faced with national disaster, the people of Israel were called to stand still for a moment and consider the place at which they had arrived.  With an army from the north ready to wreak havoc, prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah spoke in the Lord's behalf.  The prophet Jeremiah did not call the people to action, but to stillness.  The Word of the Lord did not direct them to build more weapons and build a bigger army, but to consider the place to which they had arrived.  In Jeremiah 6:16 we hear that Word being spoken, "Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls."    

The crossroad imagery is one which points to understanding the strategic nature of the moment and that the way forward is found not in the immediacy of some action, but in looking with a perspective as large as history itself.  As the call to stand in such a moment is sounded, we hear a Word that calls for a reflective pause that gives consideration to what God has done over the long haul of the shared history.  The way forward is remembering those things which speak of the eternal agenda and wider than the moment view of the Creator God.  

One of the things which is missing in our search for the way forward is the loss of a sense of urgency which provides for the moment of seeing where we really are and the alternatives that await us in the future.  The real test of determining the future is not found in what experts tell us, the views of political pundits, or some kind of sociological trend, but what is found when we allow ourselves to explore the ancient paths for the lessons God has left for us to see and embrace along the road.