The Ancient Path
Crossroads, the Blanket, and the One Who Has Gone Before
The invitation to quiet my soul draws me once again to “the blanket” — that sacred tent where I first truly encountered the risen One in a waking dream of the Lamb, the Lion, and the Son of Man.
I sometimes wonder about the epic scope of those moments, when it was as though I was transported to another time and space, the temple of my heart in renovation. Who could have thought that those images and that experience, so many years ago, would still carry such weight as to draw me back to this text, to this tent of meeting — longing to encounter again the Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah, the Son of Man, Yeshua, the King.
While contemplating the experience of that day, I recalled a passage from the ancient texts, the book of Jeremiah, chapter six, verse sixteen:
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.
There is a very real transcendence here. The experience of encounter and the invitation to stand at the crossroads — to look and ask for the ancient path, that good way, and walk in it. Rest for your soul is the offer. A quiet sanctuary where the chance to be with the Ancient One is offered, to join the other pilgrims as they pursue the shepherd on this self-same path, traveled for millennia by those seeking the greater One, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
It’s as though I hear the Maker’s voice calling out to me:
Child, you carry much,
believing you will need
this bag,
that book,
those memories.
Your back is bent ‘neath the weight
of unnecessary things.
They have served a purpose,
but no longer do they serve well.
For this path — the ancient way — does not require modernity.
This path,
the Way,
is the true path.
The way of life.
My life. My truth. My way.
The only.
And if I have invited you,
and you have joined me,
will I not provide everything you truly need for the journey?
For I have gone this way before.
I know the terrain —
the safe houses and pastures,
the orchards and gardens I planted before we even began.
I am everything you need.
Everything you desire, and more.
So let us continue — in me.
For I am the Way. I am the Truth. I am the Life. I am the crossroads.
Turning Inward
What are you carrying into this season that may have served you before but no longer serves well?
When have you stood at a crossroads and found yourself longing for a path that felt older, truer than the options in front of you?
What would it mean today to simply ask — and then take one step on the ancient way?
Join the conversation with answers to these prompts or other thoughts on encountering the Maker. We’d love to hear your perspective.
Today’s Kingdom Artifact
A lone pilgrim at the crossroad, pondering the journey. The full moon lights the barren landscape, and long shadows meld with now-steadied thoughts. Perhaps the view of what The Maker has done is hidden. After all, the orchards and gardens are just over the ridge, yet the seeker is unaware. What might they be thinking? What would you be considering?
The Studio
Returning to the Tent
Find your blanket. Your quiet place. Wherever it is that you tend to meet him.
Read Jeremiah 6:16 slowly, twice. Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths. Ask where the good way is, and walk in it.
Then simply ask. Not for an answer — just ask. What am I carrying that I no longer need for this path? What is the ancient way for me in this particular season?
If something surfaces, write it down. One line. An analog note in a journal if you have one nearby. Let the ink be a small act of returning.
You do not have to resolve it today. He has gone this way before. He knows the terrain. The orchards and gardens are already planted, further down the path than you can see.
Walk. He will provide.
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Very nice verse from Jeremiah. Thanks, Marvin.