At the Crossroads

By David Faust

“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, New International Version). 

A young married couple faced a crisis. Their infant son had died suddenly without warning, and the shocked parents were overwhelmed with grief. Sympathetic relatives and friends tried to comfort them, but the loss was so painful they could hardly bear it. When the young father was asked how he managed to cope, he replied, “I could either turn away from God in anger or turn toward him in my grief. I decided to lean into my faith.” 

I visited my elderly friend Ruth in an assisted living center. Despite a variety of physical afflictions, she always displayed a cheerful attitude. I asked, “How do you stay so positive?” Ruth answered, “I figure if the Lord led me to it, he will lead me through it. I choose to trust him.” 

The Road Less Traveled 

Have you ever come to a crossroads where you had to choose between faith and unbelief, hope and despair? Financial pressures, job losses, illnesses, or emotional problems can lead to a crisis of faith. Some pits of depression are so deep and dark it appears there is no way out. 

Simon Peter came to a crossroads. He had seen Jesus perform mind-boggling miracles like using a boy’s small lunch to feed a crowd of thousands. Peter even collected one of the 12 baskets full of leftover bread and fish. Afterward, he watched the excited crowd try to compel Jesus to become a rebel king, but instead, the Lord slipped away to a mountain alone. Later that same night, the disciples saw Jesus walking on a stormy sea, and the next day, Peter listened intently as the Lord explained the deeper meaning of the feeding of the 5,000. “I am the bread of life,” Jesus said. “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). 

What happened next was a turning point in Jesus’ ministry as his listeners grumbled and argued about this “hard teaching.” They had a choice to make. Would they follow Jesus mainly so he would fill their hungry stomachs and fulfill their aspirations for political power? Or would they follow Jesus on his terms, even when he said and did things they found hard to swallow? Many chose to walk away. “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” Turning to the 12 apostles, Jesus asked, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” (John 6:66-67). 

Have you ever come to a crossroads where you faced that same question? 

Not Just Where, but to Whom? 

Where will you turn when your life falls apart? Where will you go when no human advisors and no amount of money can solve your problems? Will you build your life on the shifting sands of political ideology, religious tradition, or humanistic pride? Will you rely completely on your own intelligence and skill? Will you turn toward God or away from him?   

Peter answered Jesus’ question with one of his own: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69). Notice, Peter didn’t ask “where” to go, but “to whom.” Life’s ultimate questions require personal faith in a personal God.  

Crossroads are unavoidable. Following Jesus constantly puts us on a road that leads to a cross. When confronted with crossroads myself, I’ve never found a better answer than the one Peter gave. It’s a “hard teaching,” but the Lord keeps challenging me to say, “Whether life is enjoyable or painful . . . when I understand and when I don’t . . . no matter what direction the crowd decides to go . . . Lord Jesus, I will follow you.” 

David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91^st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Unquenchable Faith.