The Old Testament book of Jeremiah, records the prophecies that Jeremiah the prophet was told to give to the people of Judah. The people had turned from their belief in God to idolatrous practices. God was using Jeremiah to try to bring them back.

In Jeremiah 6:16, he tells the people, “This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’

As a result of the people of Judah’s rejection, as prophesied by Jeremiah, their cities were destroyed and their people captured and taken away in exile in Babylon.

It seems to me that the people of our time have come to crossroads, known what the godly way is, and many have said like the people of Judah, “No, that’s not the road we want.”

I imagine during Jeremiah’s time there were still a few who followed the godly way, but the decisions of the majority of individuals to follow their own way rather than God’s moved the whole nation to their demise.

Dear Lord, you show us the right path in your word, the Bible, and in our hearts through our consciences. Help us remember that it is the combined action of each of us, individually, that shapes the path of the nation. Each of us, therefore, has a responsibility to contribute to the godliness of the whole nation. Help us listen and follow your guidance. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.