Thus says the LORD:
“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.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”

  - Jeremiah 6.16

They have cleared roadways which are not smooth for fools:
before they came to the Kingdom they suffered hardships.

  - Oengus mac Oengobann, Feilire Oengusso, Irish, 9th century[1]

Some years ago, as I was returning home from a weekend conference, I stopped at a café for a cup of coffee to brace me for the drive.

I had to cross the mountains on US 250 to Elkins, WV, then on to Philippi, where we lived at the time. As I sat drinking my coffee, I noticed on the wall next to my booth a pictorial history of Route 250, focusing on the particular place it crosses the mountains into the valley where I was sitting at the time.

Documents showed Route 250 had first been pioneered by Indians, pursuing game trails. It was enlarged by settlers in the 18th century and became a working highway in the 19th. The road was only paved in the 20th century and still remains today a valuable east-west thoroughfare for travelers going between Elkins and Staunton, VA.

Valuable roadways become such only over time, as they prove their worth for many generations.

For us in the Christian community, the old paths are the saints’ roads, which they have pioneered for us to walk. They are highways of doctrine and practice, example and endeavor, witness and worship, achievement and artifact, and they remain for us proven and certain guides into the future.

Over the years those highways have been enlarged, improved, and re-paved, as it were; but they are never forgotten and must not be ignored in our journey of faith toward the far country. While fools may not find them smooth going, those roads mark the trajectory of faith and life that we must follow if we would be united with all the saints around the throne of our glorious Savior and King.

But we are in danger of losing sight of those old saints’ roads.

Our contemporary Church is addicted to whatever is new and relevant, and it has no time for what is old and fixed – like the old paths of our Christian forebears. It is a mistake to leave those paths behind, to turn our back on the charts and trails of those who have gone before us and to think we can blaze new trails through the forest of secularism and relativism without losing our way.

Look to the old paths, dear friends, and celebrate with Oengus the sacrifice, the suffering, and the great achievement of those who have gone before and carved the safe roads for our journey of faith.

Psalm 78.6, 7, 8-16 (Foundation: “How Firm a Foundation”)
Lord, let all our children arise and declare
The truth of the Lord, every day, everywhere,
And set all their hopes in God’s wonderful Word,
And never forget all the works of the Lord.

Our fathers were stubborn; they would not obey.
When faced with their foes, they in fear turned away.
God’s work of redemption they wholly despised,
Forgetting the pow’r He had shown to their eyes.

Thank You, Lord, for the saints who have gone before; show me how I may more consistently learn from them.

The Celtic Revival
You may have noticed that much of what we write about and do at The Fellowship of Ailbe touches base with the Celtic Revival, that amazing period of some 400 years (ca. 430-800 AD) in which Irish monks and missionaries evangelized Ireland and Scotland, and re-evangelized the moribund churches of Europe, bringing a revival of such power and scope as to have “saved civilization”, in the memorable words of Thomas Cahill. The Celtic Revival is a road blazed with many lessons and examples that can help us find our way to the Lord’s rest in our day, and if you want to know more about this period, order the book, The Legacy of Patrick, from our online store (by clicking here). This brief introduction to The Celtic Revival will help you understand why we think the old paths still matter, and are the good way, and what it means to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

In fact, order several copies – for your pastor, for friends – and encourage others you love to begin finding their way back to the old paths. Let us resolve that we will not stand by while church leaders and friends continue to say “We will not” when faced with the Lord’s command to look to the old paths. We can do something. We can learn. We can encourage others. Together we can find our way back to those old paths that lead to revival, renewal, and awakening.

Psalms to Pray for Today and Thursday
Today
Morning: Psalm 119.105-112; Psalm 5
Evening: Psalm 80

Thursday
Morning: Psalm 119.113-120; Psalm 6
Evening: Psalm 81

T. M. Moore, Principal
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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.