“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 1:6–7, KJV)
Fear is a troubling foe. On March 4, 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt made the epic statement, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Panic, fear, or doubt can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. This is true in any of life’s endeavors. In sports, if you feel going into the competition that you are going to lose or do poorly, you probably will.
When I worked in field service engineering, I often encountered situations with machines that I had never seen before, but was obligated to troubleshoot and repair. Going into these situations I honestly experienced a bit of anxiety, not knowing what to expect or what to do. In these situations, there were only two options. One was to throw up my hands in surrender. The other was to trust the Lord and use the skills He had given me to engage in the work. The latter was always preferable and successful.
With Jeremiah’s call to the ministry of a prophet came a crisis of confidence. He apparently had no or little practice in speaking to a group of people. He had none as a prophet of God. Moreover, he was probably a teenager or one in his twenties, and not one who would be naturally looked at with the respect of an elder. How could a young man ever accomplish such a great mission as to be a prophet of the Most High?
There is only one way that anyone can accomplish anything of a divine calling. It is by faith. In fact, it is not unusual for God to call the unlikely to do His work. Paul wrote of this to the Corinthians.
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” (1 Corinthians 1:27, KJV)
Why does God often call the foolish and weak to do His work? It is so God will get the glory as He empowers people to do such glorious things. In fact, those who begin a work for God trusting in their own wisdom and abilities are in great peril and do not even realize it. Why? It is because the Scripture indicates that God will humble the proud and exalt the humble.
So, Jeremiah did not realize that he was in the perfect place to be used by God. He would have to completely depend on the Lord God to do the work of a prophet to which he was called.
Here the lord gives Jeremiah three reasons to have confidence. First, the Lord would equip Jeremiah to do the work of a prophet (v7). He would send Jeremiah to the people who needed to hear God’s message, and he would give Jeremiah the specific message that he was to proclaim.
Second, the Lord God would provide divine protection for Jeremiah (v8). He promised to be with Jeremiah and to protect him as he served in his capacity as a prophet. This did not mean that everything would be a bowl of cherries for Jeremiah, but that through it all they would not be able to destroy him.
Third, the Lord God touched the lips of Jeremiah as a sign to him (v9). It was a touch to let Jeremiah know that he had the anointing of God to proclaim the message that the Lord God would give him.
As we look at the calling of God on our lives, we can look to the blessings that God has given us. Regardless of what He has called us to do in His great kingdom plan, we can look to the call of Jeremiah and draw unique parallels.
First, the Lord equips every believer to do great things for His glory.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, KJV)
Second, we, like Jeremiah have the Lord’s presence with divine protection as we seek to fulfill His calling. Jesus stated this in the Great Commission when He said, “and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20, KJV).
Third, we have the sign and seal of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which gives us the assurance to fulfill our calling. Within each of us is the Spirit of God. He indwells us with great power so that we can accomplish our high calling for His glory. Jesus stated it, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8, ESV).
Friends, when you believed in Jesus the Holy spirit came upon you and He is in you to accomplish great things for His glory.
Renewing the Heart 