"The Lord said to me, ‘I chose you before I
gave you life, and before you were born I selected you....’ I answered, ‘Lord, I
don't know how to speak...’ But the Lord said to me...’Go to the people ... Do
not be afraid of them, for I will be with you to protect you.’" If you are
like me, you have been presented with many opportunities to serve God but have said no,
"I can’t do that." We say we don’t feel equal to the task due to lack
of training, interest, or we simply the lack the self-confidence to do the job. Do you
ever wonder whether you are thwarting God’s plan for you by not being willing to
answer the call?
Jeremiah initially responded that same way when God called him to be a prophet to the
nations when he was only a young man of about 18. Jeremiah said something like,
"I’m too young. I don’t know how to speak to nations. I wouldn’t know
what to say, and they wouldn’t listen to me, anyway." Well, God had determined
Jeremiah’s spiritual destiny even before he was born, and he told Jeremiah not to
worry, that he would put his words in Jeremiah’s mouth. God promised Jeremiah that he
would be his source and would equip him to do the job God had planned for him. God gave
Jeremiah the Spiritual Gifts to carry out God’s plan.
God will do the same for us today when we respond to his call to serve. God will be our
source and provide what we need to do the job he asks of us. We need to remember that what
God calls us to do, may not be a line item on our resumes, and that Spiritual Gifts are
not gotten by college credit. Spiritual Gifts come to us from God, providing us with all
that we need to fulfill the plan that he has especially for each of us.
Jeremiah trusted God’s promise to provide and he obeyed. You and I must listen for
God’s call, trust his promise to provide what is necessary, and respond with
obedience.
