Jeremiah 1:5,9 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. . . . Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.”
Have you ever been asked or expected to do something that you could not do? Or have you ever been asked to do something that you did not want do? Maybe you think, “If God Himself asked me to do the impossible, then I would do it.” Oh, really? That is the place where a young Jeremiah finds himself in the first chapter of this book. His argument was, “Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.” In God’s calling of Jeremiah, we can see God’s provision for when He calls us.
First, God made you. Whoever and whatever you are, God made you. He says in verse 5, “Before I formed thee . . . I knew thee . . . I sanctified thee . . . I ordained thee. . . .” God formed Jeremiah-He made his mouth and his mind. God would not ask Jeremiah to do something that He (God) did not make him to do. The same is true for you-God made you.
Second, God knows you. Maybe you feel like people do not understand you-but God does. God never asks you by mistake, thinking you are more able than you are. He also never neglects you thinking you are not really able. God knows you.
Third, God sets you apart. Jeremiah was set apart before his birth for a specific task. In the New Testament, we are told that we are set apart to God at salvation: “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.” (I Corinthians 12:18)
Fourth, God directs you. Like an archer directs an arrow toward a target, so God “aimed” Jeremiah in a definite direction. God also has a direction for your life. Jeremiah said, “I am a child,” but God had a direction for his life: Go where I tell you and say what I tell you to say. God has a direction for you.
Whatever you may or may not be-or what you have or don’t have-if you respond in obedience, you have God’s presence. Verse 8 says, “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee. . . .” You can confidently trust God and know that He is present when you obey. God even entrusted Jeremiah with His own words! “Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.” God has likewise entrusted us. God goes with you when you respond in obedience.
In light of all these things, there are two appropriate responses: first, “gird up thy loins.” (v. 17) In other words, roll up your sleeves and get with it! The second response we ought have is to “fear not.” God made you; He knows you; He has set you apart; He has directed you; and He is with you-you cannot improve on that!
Prayer Requests: – Revival services tonight in Gibson City, IL; Starke, FL; and Dunbar, PA |