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.” ~ Jeremiah 6:16a (NIV)

I spent Monday morning reflecting on these words from the book of Jeremiah.

Stand at the crossroads…look…ask…walk in the good, ancient way and there you will find rest.

It was the promise that caught my attention. There you will find rest. 

As hopeful as I am entering into 2022, I also feel as though I’m entering the year running on empty.  I’m tired.  I feel a bit stretched. 

The other day, I parked next to a car whose tires were worn down.  The tread was almost completely gone.  Honestly, I feel a bit like that – like the tread of my life has worn out.  The engine is good, the drive is there, but the tread, my source of traction, is running low.

So, when I came across these words promising deep, regenerative rest for our souls, I knew there was something here I had to pay close attention to. 

While there is so much that could be explored here, I simply want to highlight God’s emphasis on our need for the old, for the ancient.

The Lord instructs us to seek out what He calls the ancient paths.

Notice we’re not sent out in search of what’s new.  We’re not told to make our own way or to carve out our own path.  However much our culture might idolize the notion of the self-made person who blazes their own trail, we’re sent out on a different mission.  We’re sent out to find what’s old.  More than that, we’re told to look for and ask for what’s been lost and forgotten. 

The Hebrew word used here for ancient is ‘olam’ and it means continuous, eternal, perpetual, or even, hidden time.  More than just being understood as old, ‘olam’ has the sense of being there all along, and yet missed, overlooked, unseen. 

The ancient path, the ‘olam’ path, is right in front of our eyes and yet, it is missed, lost, hidden. 

The Lord says we don’t need to find something new, something that no one has ever done before – we need to rediscover what has been lost and forgotten – what’s right in front of us and yet hidden.

You see, this path isn’t hidden to exclude or prevent people from finding it, it’s hidden due to non-use.  The Hebrew word for path here literally means “trodden with feet”.  It’s not a paved road with bright signs and streetlights; it’s a path through the wild, through the dirt and the grass, worn down and made only slightly noticeable by the feet of travelers who have gone before.

It’s something you can pass by every day and never realize it – it’s that close. 

If you’re like me and heading into the new year feeling worn out and tread-less, may the closeness of this trodden path be an encouragement to you.  The path to rest, to renewal and healing isn’t something you have to create and carve out on your own.  It’s already here.  It’s right in front of you. 

It’s Jesus.  He is the way – as well as the truth and the life.  (John 14:6)  Jesus is the ancient path. 

Is God doing something new this year?  Of course, He is.  After all, He is in the business of making all things new. (Revelation 21:5)

However, as sure as God is working towards the new, these words from Jeremiah have convinced me of the importance of the old.

The ancient path isn’t a code word for some institutional framework, denominational structure, or traditional way of viewing or doing things – the ancient path, the hidden way, the trodden trail to rest and renewal, is Jesus Christ Himself.

As Augustine said, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” So, may we find our way to the ancient path of Jesus Christ and in Him, may we find rest.