Jeremiah 1:4-6 – Called to be God’s messengers

The call of Jeremiah was very straightforward. Nothing dramatic like that of the call of Isaiah. The word of the LORD came simply summoning him for service. God began the call by telling Jeremiah that long before that moment, God already knew him. God saw his yet unformed substance even before he was formed in his mother’s womb. Even before he was born, he was already consecrated for him to serve. He was to be a prophet to the nation. In other words, he was going to be God’s spokesman.

Though Jeremiah’s call was not attended by anything dramatic, it was a serious one, and he knew it. Anyone who knows God and the magnitude of His work would undoubtedly face the call with trepidation. Isaiah felt unworthy to serve because he saw his sinfulness before the Holy God. As to Jeremiah, he felt inadequate because he was too young and immature and hence would not be adequately equipped for the work. He honestly told God saying, “Alas, Lord God! Behold I do not know how to speak because I am a youth.” Frankly speaking, how can anyone ever be adequate for the task of God? One would be deceiving himself or herself to think that he or she is adequate for God’s work, without God’s help. Jesus, Himself explicitly said, “Apart from Him, we can do nothing.”

Here are three truths gleaned from these three verses:

Firstly, we learn that life comes from God. He was the one who had formed us in our mother’s womb. The formation of human life is a divine miracle. Know it or not every one of us is put together by God. The process of a foetus becoming a baby to be born attests to God’s marvel. Our anatomy and physiology are God's design.

Secondly, we know that we can only choose God because He first chose us. Ever wonder why we responded to God, while others hearing that same message would not respond to Him. It’s because God has placed His hand on us. Hence it behooves us to know how privileged we are to be called sons and daughters of God.

Thirdly, every one of us needs to know that God has a calling on our lives. He did not call us just to save us from hell, He calls us so that He can shape, form, and return us to the original image He had for us before the fall. We each must become more and more like Christ, the image of God. It is said that “Who we are is God’s gift to us but what we become will be our gift to God.” One last word: our effectiveness as His spokesmen in the world will vary depending on the degree we become like Christ.