CONSIDER IT

JEREMIAH 6:16 (NET)

The Lord said to His people; “You are standing at the crossroads. So consider your path.  Ask where the path is that leads to blessing and follow it.  If you do, you will find rest for your souls.” But they said, we will not follow it!

Each new day that comes brings with it a multitude of choices and decisions that we must make.  These are the crossroads, the paths that the Lord wants us to consider.  He is saying to us, “Think about carefully and take into account what choices you are making each and every day and where they will lead you.”  

I have to wonder how many of us really do that.  Often times we wake up and immediately go into auto pilot mode, doing the same things we have done in the past, never really thinking it all through.  We reason with our own minds.  When we do consider what path to take and are still unsure, God gives us the answer for that.  He says, ask!  He does not desire His will for us to be a secret.  He wants us to know the way that will bring good to us.  He wants His plans for us to be fulfilled.  He is for us, not against us and wants us prosper in all our ways.   

In Proverbs 15:22 it say’s “Plans fail without advice, but with many counselors they are confirmed.”   Are we asking those people in our lives who know the Lord for wise counsel, especially in the big decisions we have to make.  We should not be asking just anyone; but, those who have our best interest in the Lord in mind, people who know the Lord personally.  God will confirm the way to go and what to do most often with two or three confirmations. 

Next the Lord gives us the key to getting anxiety, worry, stress, depression, lack of peace, and many other issues that we deal with out of our lives.  He say's, once you the choice to make, the path to go, follow it!  Do it, go that way, and then you will find rest for your souls.  Our soul is our mind, will and emotions.  As we surrender our will, our control to Him; and, let Him lead, He trades with us the heavy yoke that we carry by giving us Jesus yoke.  Jesus yoke is one of rest, because He was submitted to the Father’s good and perfect will.   He only did as the Father told Him.  He trusted even though his flesh was often times telling him to go the other direction.   We must remember, Jesus was not only fully God, but fully human as well.  He had to fight His fleshly desires and feelings, just like we do.  He had to consider as well.   

Did you notice at the end of this verse it say’s, “But they said, we will not follow it!”  Did you get that?   Many times we know what we are to do, what we are to let go of, and what path to walk in. But we are unwilling to do this.  Whatever reason we give for not walking the path God would have us to walk, most often times it is still that one word we don’t like to hear or admit, REBELLION.   Until we are willing to deal with our rebellious hearts, our emotions and lives will be in a constant state of confusion and inner turmoil.   We will seek the doctor’s answer first for why we are so depressed and just don’t feel “right” inside.  We will take the human solution for our problems instead of considering that we just might need to be willing to humble ourselves under God’s authority and change some of our actions. We will exhaust ourselves trying to do things our own way.  We will never have that inner rest God wants us to have right here, right now.   The more we surrender our wants and desires to His, which is for our best anyway, the more clarity we will have.  We become stable, content and peaceful.  We enter that rest we so desperately need.  

As I read this verse, God spoke to me so loudly through it.  I know that He is telling me and telling all of you, “Consider, ask and walk it out.”  Be not just a hearer of the Word, be a doer of the Word! 

Written By: Connie Miller