Ask for the ancient paths

^{by Phoebe}

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.’” Jeremiah 6:16

After living in Thailand for about three months, there have been several times where Thais have tried to give us directions verbally. In one of our Thai conversation lessons, the topic is specifically on giving directions to our home in Lopburi. I was tested on that for my language check – thank God I revised the topic! As a geographer, it just made more sense for me to just tap on advanced technology and use Google Maps to have an aerial view. Every time a Thai tried to give me directions verbally, my brain somehow automatically switches off although my ears are trying hard to pay attention and my mind is trying hard to imagine the street view. “Can’t they just send me the Google Maps pin?” I wondered to myself.

There is a Thai couple, from the church which we are currently attending, who would come with us on our car rides to a church plant on Sunday afternoons. We think the main reasons why they come along with us are for fellowship and to give us directions to the church in case we get lost. It can get stressful sometimes when they only give us a few seconds’ notice before we need to make turns. “Go forward a bit more and you would see the temple on the left. Turn onto the road before the temple. Turn right at the yellow pavilion.” They would say. Secretly, I would turn on Google Maps to make sure that we are going on the right track. Actually, it is not a secret, the couple could tell that I have my Google Maps turned on but somehow, they seem to trust in their directions more. We always have good fun and laughs when discussing the best way to get to the church plant.

Perhaps as Singaporeans, we have low tolerance for uncertainty avoidance (based on the Hofstede cultural factor which we learnt about in our cross-cultural lessons). We tend to plan ahead and want to know exactly where we are going and not miss any turns on our journeys (be it road trips, life plans, spiritual growths etc.). As a result, we may miss landmarks or milestone markers which are actually significant for us to stop and consider our next steps. Just like the passage in Jeremiah 6:16, should we not ask look and observe the roads, and ask for the ancient paths – the ones which others have already treaded upon and proven to be good and righteous ways? Our Thai friends have taught us that there is value in listening to directions to places because they have been on those paths.

More importantly, are we trusting that God will reveal at each step the turn or curve that He wants us to take? There is no need for us to know the long-term plan for ourselves, but to instead incline our ears and listen to Him step by step and day by day. It is in obedience and trust where we can find rest for our souls.