Introduction

On July 18, 2021, Pastor Eric began a new series on the book of Jeremiah. The prophet Jeremiah was approximately 20-years-old when God called him.

Jeremiah 1:4-5 says,

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

In short, God created you and has a plan for your existence.

The Lord had chosen Jeremiah to be a prophet before he was born and chose him to speak to the people of Judah and the surrounding nations on His behalf. Since Jeremiah was only a youth when he began to prophesy, he felt inadequately prepared for such a responsible role and argued that he was too young and inexperienced to be given such an important task. God spoke to Jeremiah and reassured him that He, the Almighty God, would be with him and He would give him the message to relay to the people of Judah.

Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet, because he mourned the sins of his people and grieved his own inability in turning them back to God. He proclaimed a sinister message about sin and punishment; however, his message was not only a pessimistic one. He also conveyed a message of hope and comfort, for not only the people of the day, but also for us today.

Remember the following three important points:

God planned you.

In Psalm 139:13-14, David says,

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Not only did God know you before you were even born, but He had a plan for your life since the beginning of time. He made you just how you are for a purpose. God created you intentionally. No one was an accident. There’s planning, purpose and design that led up to your existence. The Lord has given you a unique personality as well as natural strengths, weaknesses and unique abilities. God has a plan for each and every one of us and He wants you and I here.

Many people in the world today are unsure of their value. Many of us are deeply insecure, so when the world tells us we’re only worth as much as our success and our bank account, we believe it. Many people today increase their feelings of self-worth by accumulating worldly possessions and by attempting to become a great success. They define their worth by what they can or cannot do. That is not what the Lord says. He says we are His handywork, His masterpiece! There is no need for us to look for our self-worth in the opinions of others. No man or woman, whether they be a pastor, a family member or a friend, will ever recognize your true worth. They’ll always fall short, because you are way more valuable than what people claim. You are valuable because God, the creator of the universe, is the potter of your life. Your worth is not found in what you do or in the possessions you have, but because the Lord affirms your value in the Scriptures.

Luke 12:15 says

…Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.

The meaning of this verse is quite plain and easy to understand. The meaning of your life is not measured by your wealth and possessions. As children of God, we don’t need all these worldly goods, because God satisfies our every need and affirms our self-esteem and self-worth.

Let God define your limitations.

Jeremiah 1:7 says,

But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.

When God called Jeremiah to speak to the people of Judah, he was aware of his inabilities and felt unable to fulfill his mission. So many times, people are trying to excuse themselves because of the recognition of their own shortcomings. They believe they are not qualified to accomplish the task at hand, but in reality, God isn’t looking for talented, abled people. He’s just looking for willing people. So, we are not to say we are too young, too short, not qualified, not eloquent, or not bright enough. It isn’t my ability that God is really seeking for. It’s just a channel, an instrument through which He can do His work. And if I feel like I can’t do it, then God can more easily rework me into another vessel for His good purpose.

We Can Fear Not Because God is With Us.

When the Lord calls someone to service, He equips that person with supernatural strength and sufficient ability and knowledge to complete the assignment He has given him or her to do. We are not to be afraid, because the Almighty God is with us. The Lord gives us the necessary confidence and courage to successfully complete the task at hand and to overcome difficulties or challenges, however big or small, that may come our way. We are to live fearlessly because our hope is in the Lord. If we do not, it exposes our lack of trust in God.

Jeremiah 1:8 says,

Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.

‘Fear not!’ is the most repeated command in the Bible. In fact, it’s been said that there are over 365 ‘fear nots’ in the Bible, one for every day of the year. God does not want us to go a single day without hearing his word of comfort: ‘fear not’. Pastor Craig Groeschel said, “What you fear the most reveals where you trust God the least.” God wants us to put our faith in Him and watch as He starts to eliminate our fears.

Some people believe the opposite of fear is faith. However, the opposite of fear is not faith, but misplaced faith. When we fear, we have faith in the worst outcome, but when we choose to place our faith in God, we are trusting God with the outcome.

Seeing God’s patience with His people in the book of Jeremiah reminds us that God has always been and continues to be merciful. Though we fail, He is patient with us, working in us to bring about the best for our lives. Jeremiah never quit and his faithfulness to God never flinched, because the Lord had promised to be faithful to him. Let’s follow Jeremiah’s example.

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