The Atlas: Finding the Ancient Paths
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.
Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)
How many of you remember the Rand McNally road map of the United States?
I can still see it vividly now.
Two of my children found one of those old atlas maps and were fascinated by how it actually worked.
“Wait,” they said, “you mean people actually used this old thing to get somewhere? How?” The atlas seemed fascinating, but certainly outdated by today’s standards.
It gave us a good laugh, but it also brought back some vivid memories.
Daddy would be driving. Mama would be navigating in the front seat, the atlas in hand, spread out, looking to see how to get to the appointed location.
No cell phone linked to the car GPS system speaking to us and saying, “In one mile, take exit 378A.” You get the picture.
Times have really changed, and those ancient ways seem outdated now, but there is so much spiritual truth to glean from those old road maps.
Jeremiah 6:16 has always been a favorite verse of mine.
There is something very familiar, in a comforting way,
about the call to walk in the ancient paths.
This verse gives us a call to do something: stand, look, ask, and walk.
This is not passive.
On the contrary, we are taking that old, ancient road map, the Holy Word, and reading it diligently, lest we miss the journey by taking the wrong path.
If you have ever stood at a crossroads trying to determine which way to go, you know it can be confusing.
Making that decision requires a little help, a little context of where you have been, where you are, and where you would like to go. Hence, the Atlas can be useful here.
Jeremiah tells us that as we stand at the crossroads of decision and try to choose a path, we are to ask,
Where is the ancient path, the good way?
I am afraid we do not always ask for directions and inquire of God for the good way He has planned for our lives.
Yet, He tells us that if we lack wisdom for the journey,
He will give it generously (James 1:5).
He gives us that wisdom for upright living through His Word, through the teaching of His Word, through personal study, and through prayer.
That is what pulling out the road map, the atlas to navigate looks like.
Back then, it was a winding series of lines and connections.
Today, navigation is as easy as letting a GPS tell us, turn here or turn there.
I liken this to Isaiah 30:21:
“Your ears will hear a word behind you,
‘This is the way, walk in it,’
whenever you turn to the right or to the left.”
God’s Word whispers sometimes, and other times it speaks boldly: walk this way, turn here, go this direction.
There is a song called Ancient Words, and just the title alone captures the beauty of this truth.
We do not always like ancient or outdated things, but for the believer, the ancient Word of God is still our road map,
our Rand McNally map, our GPS system.
A.W. Tozer writes, “The Bible is a whole series of highways, all leading toward God.”
What a picture.
The Word is the map, the atlas we pull out, open up, and spread before us.
We turn the pages, study how it is all connected, and ask the Lord to show us how to arrive at the destination in the very best way.
And it will give us daily instruction to ease the journey.
Forgive — Forgive each other as God in Christ has forgiven you.
That cuts down on the detours of bitterness.
Anger — Be angry, and do not sin.
Anger is like a warning light. Get it fixed before you have a breakdown.
Fear — Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
Fear can keep us from the journey itself and from the very places God has planned for us to go and see the beauty of Himself.
Disappointment — Let us not grow weary of doing good.
Sometimes we need to be recalibrated when we have lost our way and let the GPS system of God bring us back to the right path.
I do not know how many times Mom and Dad pulled out the map, but this I am sure of: they used it for every trip we took as a family vacation, even if the way was familiar.
The map was in the car and could be used at will to direct the way.
Psalm 25:4–5 tells us how to use that map, the ancient Word that is ever true:
Make me know Your ways…
Teach me Your paths…
Lead me in Your truth…
May that be our prayer today as we stand at the crossroads of life.
Lord, show me Your way that I may know how to walk uprightly.
Lord, teach and instruct me which way I am to go.
Tell me left or right so that my journey may go well.
Lord, lead and guide me by Your Holy Spirit,
and be the voice behind me saying,
“This is the way, walk in it.” And most of all, help me to
stand, diligently look, ask, and then respond
by walking the journey with You.
Guide my life by the atlas of your Word.
Amen.
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