No One Is An Accident When God's Word is Involved

You can have a kid without intention. But you cannot be a child without God's direction. He has a purpose for you from before you are even born. 

Jeremiah 1:4–5 (ESV) Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah was a priest, but something more significant defined him. He was known by God and THEN formed by God. Notice the order. God knew him, THEN formed him, THEN consecrated him, and THEN after all that, he was born. It's almost as if birth was a foregone conclusion with God. To us, birth is such a huge deal, to God it's the last on the list of why you came to be. Consider that the next time you feel worthless. God has no accidents. 

It's also good to see that even this great man Jeremiah struggled with this idea. Because he offers God an excuse as soon as he learns of God's coordination of his birth.

Jeremiah 1:6 (ESV) Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”

Have you ever told God what should disqualify you even after He made you for what He gave you to do? Jeremiah did. He heard God speak and He offered God who gave him those words an excuse for why it could not be him. 

Personally, I think God has a better time with those who think they cannot do it than those who assume the could. 

God's answer is simple, "shut up."
Jeremiah 1:7 (ESV) But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

The Bible is God's communication. Never tell God you cannot speak. For His specialty is words communicated and He gives His Word to anyone He wills. Moreover, God's answer implies motion. You will "go", says the Lord and you will be "commanded" what I want you to say. 

Jeremiah 1:8 (ESV) Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.”
Not only does God correct Jeremiah's spoken reservation. God confronts a latent reason for his inadequacy. He's afraid of the people. And who can blame him? His nation is corrupt, people's hearts are wicked and the world is full of evil. 

Jeremiah 1:9 (ESV) Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
God ends this interaction with a personal physical touch. God touches the very tool Jeremiah will use - his mouth. The physical becomes a spiritual impartation. 

Then God gives Jeremiah a high position. Notice this line:
Jeremiah 1:10 (ESV) See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
The prophet is set OVER the nations and kingdoms. Not the king. The prophet! Why? Because ultimately those who speak for God shape the world no matter what the worldly powers think. 

So what is our hope? It is this: No inadequacy on our part can thwart God's intentionality on His part when His Word is deposited in our hearts. 

Amen. 


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