Before I formed you, I knew you

Before I formed you, I knew you

Scripture:- Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Jeremiah 1:5-7

Observation: At the commencement of the book of Jeremiah, we see the calling of the major prophet to God’s service as a young man, fearful and apprehensive in his youth. His response is similar to that of Moses, who upon receiving God’s calling, gave the excuse that he could not speak well.

God said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you, I knew you. Even from your mother’s womb, I ordained you as a prophet to the nations!” This is true in a sense for every one of us. Before we were even formed, God already knew us, and what we would be. He already prepared the destiny that would be ours to fulfill.

Does everyone fulfill the destiny that God has meant for him? No! Sadly, many fall away because of their pride or love for the things of the world. Saul could have been a great king, but forsook his destiny because of his pride and recklessness. Judas walked with Jesus for 3 years, and could have been a great apostle, but instead became cursed as traitor of the Lord Himself. Now, some may ask, if it was prophesied that Judas would be the traitor, where was his free will in this? Why did God allow him to be in that situation where he had no choice but to fall? Questions like these are hard for us to understand, and at our human level, there are some things we cannot really fully comprehend. For instance, our thinking is limited in a sense to the concept of time, past, present, future, but to God, who is timeless, He has seen the future. He has even been in the future. What the apostle John saw in Revelation is actually what took place in the future.

However, what we do know is that we have free choice today, in the present, where we are. It is our choice whether to submit to God and move towards the future He has planned for us or go our own way and satisfy our own ambitions and pleasures. God has ordained each one of us to be in His service in one way or another. We are not here for no reason, but we must find that reason in God for only in His will, will we truly be satisfied and fulfilled.

Now looking at Jeremiah’s response, it is typical of many of us today. Jeremiah wisely knew that it was no joke to be God’s servant, and at that time, if he had the faintest idea what he would have to go through, he would fall on his knees and beg God for mercy. He rightly pointed out that he was still young, and it was unlikely the older and wiser would listen to him. However, God reassured him. “Go to whom I tell you to go to. Speak what I tell you to speak.” God promised to be with him every step of the way. And that is how God works with us to. If we seek Him, He will tell us where to go, what to say, one day at a time.

Application:- Know that each one of us has a destiny from birth prepared by God. Seek to fulfill God’s destiny for us by seeking to follow Him one day at a time, to go where He wants us to go, and say what He wants us to say. God’s Spirit is with us, to guide us. He is our Counselor.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for the destiny that You planned for me, even from my mother’s womb. Help me fulfill that destiny by following you every day, one step at a time. Tell me where to go, and what to say, and teach my heart to hear Your voice. In Jesus name, Amen.