Jeremiah 1-2

August 11

Jeremiah 1-2

"“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 1:5-8, NIV)

God not only knew Jeremiah before he was born, He knew each one of us before we were born. God has a plan for our lives, but He allows us to choose whether we will follow Him or we will follow our own desires. We can come up with all kinds of excuses. Some excuses are better than others, but no excuse releases us from God’s call on our lives.

There is a saying that God does not call the equipped, He equips the called. There is a lot of truth to that saying, but God equips us in ways we do not even begin to understand until we step out in faith. David was a shepherd boy, the youngest in his family. He defended sheep in his father’s pastor and was equipped to defend Israel when they faced Goliath. Moses was a stuttering failure who had been raised in the home of Pharaoh, but ended up tending sheep in the desert for his father in law. God met him in the desert and sent him as His personal messenger to Pharaoh.

God specializes in using our weaknesses to reveal his strength. We do not need to be afraid. If we know God has called us to a task, we can also know He will go with us. He will protect us. He will accomplish His goal, even if it is not our goal. Do not go in your own strength, go in the power of Almighty God and you will not fail.