1The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. 2Yahweh’s word came to him in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. 4Now Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
5“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.
Before you were born, I sanctified you.
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
6Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! Behold, I don’t know how to speak; for I am a child.”
7But Yahweh said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am a child;’ for you must go to whomever I send you, and you must say whatever I command you. 8Don’t be afraid because of them, for I am with you to rescue you,” says Yahweh.
9Then Yahweh stretched out his hand and touched my mouth. Then Yahweh said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. 10Behold, I have today set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Jeremiah was chosen before he was born, from his mother’s womb God appointed him as a prophet. God knew who Jeremiah was even before his parents did. As a teenager probably around the age of 17 God reminded Jeremiah of the call on his life to speak for him. Jeremiah had other ideas and said, ‘I am too young, I can’t speak for you.’ God told him not to mention his age, for his words would be God’s words and he would be with him. Then God touched his mouth and gave Jeremiah a message to proclaim.
How many times do we say to God ‘I can’t because…..’ Perhaps we look at others and see them as better equipped or more effective. Maybe we look at ourselves and our own insecurities hold us back or the pain of the past. Sometimes we just feel more comfortable the way we are and we don’t want God to rock the boat. The fact is we can put all sorts of reasons in the way of doing God’s will, answering his call or being the person, he has called us to be, some of those reasons even sound valid. The truth is God isn’t calling us to tell our own story, but his. He is not asking us to declare our own words, but his. He is not telling us to go it alone, for he will be with us every step of the way.
Jeremiah lived in a time of moral decline, people had turned their backs on God. Despite the absolute rebellion of the people, God still wanted them to hear his message and he chose Jeremiah to tell it. We too live in days of moral decline and rebellion against God. However, God still wants his voice to be heard so that people can find hope in him. Who has he chosen to declare that message in word and in deed? The answer is you, and he is with you every step of the way.