Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah, you that enter these gates to worship the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.” For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever. Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, “We are safe!” —only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the Lord. (Jeremiah 1:4-10; 7:1-11, NRSV)
Jeremiah tried to get out of his calling. Lord, I am just a boy and know not what to say. Here like in Isaiah we have a touching of the mouth, in Isaiah, it is by an angel with a hot coal from the fire, here it is the Lord, but the message is the same, now you have my words in your mouth. Now you have no excuse to go and speak my words. Because as Isaiah and Jeremiah were chosen, we were all chosen and set apart to do a job for God.
You see just as God knew Jeremiah in his mother’s womb, and even before that, that is also how God knew you.
God knew you before you were a twinkle in your mother’s eye. God knew all about you and carefully knit you together as a gift and blessing to your parents. So that you could be set apart and appointed to do something only you can do.
So cling tightly to Jesus and follow where He leads you, knowing that He has given you the words to say and the actions to do and goes with you always.
Are you ready to step up and go with Jesus?
aSacredRebel 