Jeremiah 6:16 - How Revivals Start.
Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV) 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. But you said, We will not walk in it.
Jeremiah 6:16 (NLT) 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, thats not the road
we want!
WORD STUDY
Stand ye in the ways. The metaphor is that
of a traveler who, having lost his way,
stations himself at the juncture of several different
roads, carefully considering and diligently
inquiring after the right one. [SDA Bible Commentary]
Ancient Paths. Represent the ways laid down
in Gods Law. These are good ways, for when a
person walks in them he or she will find rest
for your souls. [The 365-Day Devotional
Commentary]
Rest for your souls. He who walks in the
path that God directs will find peace and
quietude. [SDA Bible Commentary]
INTRODUCTION
The right path for living is ancient and has
been marked out by God. But the people refused to
take God's path, going their own way instead. We
face the same decision today, going God's old but
true way, or following a new path of our own
choosing. Don't be misled. The only way to find peace
and "rest for your souls" is to walk on God's
path. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
The first-century church, the one that
Jesus started, turned their world upside down.
They set their world on fire.
On the other hand, the church of today,
which is much larger than the first-century
church, has considerable resources and technology to
use. Yet it seems as though the world is turning
the church upside down.
Why arent we setting the world on
fire? Its because we need a revival. We need an
awakening.
Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah,
God said, Stand in the ways and see, and ask
for the old paths, where the good way is, and
walk in it; then you will find rest for your
souls (Jeremiah 6:16 NKJV).
Historically, revivals often began with
one person who decided to do something. For
example, in 1857, businessman Jeremiah Lanphier
decided to start a prayer meeting on Fulton Street
in downtown New York. Only a handful of people
showed up to pray at the first meeting on September
23.
But Lanphier was persistent, and they
kept meeting for prayer. Then something dramatic
took place. The stock market crashed, and
suddenly the prayer meeting grew. Then prayer
meetings began popping up throughout New York City.
And within six months, ten thousand people were
gathering for prayer throughout the city, calling on
the name of the Lord.
Within eighteen months of that first
prayer meeting on Fulton Street, an estimated one
million people had come to faith in Jesus Christ. It
wasnt orchestrated. It wasnt a campaign planned
by people. Rather, it was a work of God in
which He poured out His Spirit. We need to see
that today.
Any genuine revival will bring about
repentance in the lives of the people, a change in the
community, and evangelism en masse.
Jeremiah Lanphier was not a preacher. He
wasnt famous. He was an ordinary person who
decided to pray. And you can do the same. [Greg
Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Jesus says Come unto Me and I will give
you rest, i.e., Christ-consciousness will
take the place of self-consciousness.... It is
never Gods will that we should be anything less
than absolutely complete in Him. Anything that
disturbs rest in Him must be cured at once, and it is
not cured by being ignored, but by coming to
Jesus Christ. If we come to Him and ask Him to
produce Christ-consciousness, He will always do it
until we learn to abide in Him. [My Utmost for His
Highest by Oswald Chambers]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Jeremiah 6:16 - When You Are At The
Crossroads.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20181006-2024.html
Jeremiah 6:16 - Peace And Rest Are Found In
Jesus.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2005/20050520-1118.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/