The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 "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."
6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."
7 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. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.
9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." Jeremiah1:4-10
Very often God's word comes to us and we're tempted to answer with a "But..."
- "But I'm only a child..."
- "But I'm already retired..."
- "But I'm only a housewife..."
- "But I'm only a young Christian - I don't know the Bible..."
- "But I've made so many mistakes..."
- "But the challenge is so big and I'm so afraid..."
- "But I'm so tired..."
God has had his eye on Jeremiah since before he was born.
And He answers Jeremiah's "but" with a command to be brave and an assurance that he is not alone.
When we look at his commission it's clear that Jeremiah needed a strong sense of call - he was asked to "uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." Jeremiah was going to have to re-shape the Israelites' thoughts and perceptions about God. It would make him unwelcome and unpopular, but he would also be able to explain and unpack the glory of the new covenant and reveal God's plan for His people to prosper (more on this tomorrow...)
What are the "But's" that we have in our hearts?
What are the excuses we are making?
Maybe it's time to get off our "But's" (Pun intended!)
After all, He's been watching us before we were born - he knows us better than we know ourselves and he knows what we can handle.
And He's promised to be with us and rescue us!
--> Lord, with Your love and mercy it is never to late to start doing what You have been asking us to do. Help us to step and trust You.
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
