Jeremiah 6:16a – thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is, then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
As my retirement date draws closer and I consider how I will best spend my time for the next 20 or 30 years, I am thankful that the Lord already knows and has a plan for me. Retirement is not the end of the journey; it is a new beginning. As graduation is not an end but a commencement, retirement is not an end but a new opportunity. Unfortunately, the dictionary definition doesn’t reflect that. It defines retirement as withdrawal or pulling away. But when we withdraw from something, we are going toward something else. Hopefully, it will not be seclusion.
For Christians, retirement should be a time when we can finally and fully devote our time to our number one boss—God. When we no longer have the demands of a full time job, we have more flexibility to go wherever and whenever God calls us. But there are so many paths. How do we know which one to choose? Jeremiah 6:16 provides some direction. And this direction applies to all stages of life.
The Lord says, STAND by the roads. Notice it says roads not road. We are standing by roads that indicate choices or paths. And we are to STAND. Not move. We should not move forward without consulting God. Since there is more than one road, we must wait until He directs so we know which one to take.
The Lord says, Stand by the road and LOOK. Look at the roads or choices that are available. Look them over carefully. Consider where each road might lead. Perhaps consider what is known about each path. Consider our own talents and how they might be put to use on each path, BUT we can’t rely on our own thoughts because the verse says look AND ASK.
ASK for the eternal paths. Notice the plural again. There is more than one path. Why? What does that mean? It means we will have to stand, look, and ask at each crossroad; it means some paths, though different, may get us to the same place. God does allow choices for His children’s lives, but we need to ASK for guidance to choose the eternal paths because some paths may be deceiving. They may look like they lead to eternity, but they don’t. We need to choose eternal paths by the good, old way.
The GOOD, OLD WAY represents the way of those in the past who followed God faithfully. That is why studying God’s Word is so important. We can learn from those who have made choices and see where those choices led them. The good, old way may also represent our own pasts. We look back and see our own choices and reflect on God’s faithfulness in our lives. The good, old path represents the righteous path, not necessarily the easy path. The old way may represent tradition. This is not to say that new things are necessarily or always bad, but old ways have been tried, and history shows their effectiveness. Finally, we must make a choice. This is implied because the next part says, and THEN.