Young man, prophet of God

The first is that God always has a plan for us, but sometimes we just might not understand it … yet. 

Before Jeremiah had been conceived, long before he had reached the age of understanding, never mind maturity, God had a great purpose for his life: 

‘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’. (Jeremiah 1:5)  

We might not know every detail of the great work God wants us to do for him, but God knows. That means we can trust him with our future and simply get on with being faithful in the few things that are set before us to do right now.

Secondly, we need to learn that age is no hindrance to God's will for our lives. When God came to Jeremiah he was at the age of most of us. Many commentaries would agree that Jeremiah would have been around 20 years old and we see this in chapter one, ‘I am a child’ (Jeremiah 1:6). But God had a work for him to do. 

I love God’s response to Jeremiah: 'say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak' (Jeremiah 1:7). Experience or ability weren’t what God looked for in Jeremiah, just obedience. 

This should be a massive encouragement for us in our own service for God. We don't have to wait until we’re qualified or experienced to serve God.  Even when we’re feeling completely inadequate in a certain situation because of our youth, let’s remember that God delights in using young men for his great work – faithful young men like Jeremiah. 

Another lesson we can learn is that no matter our doubts God is with us. Notice how God reassured Jeremiah in verse 8:

 ‘Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.’ 

Jeremiah had doubts surrounding how the nation would receive his prophecy from God but the Lord encouraged him to not be afraid and also reassured him with the words ‘I am with thee’. The words of Paul come to my mind:

 ‘If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31)

Lastly, we need to be ready. The Lord says to Jeremiah, ‘therefore gird up thy loins’ (Jeremiah 1:17). Jeremiah would have been no use to God if he had stayed at home and only prophesied to his friends and his family. He needed to be ready to go forth and to speak to the nation. We have a wonderful message from God too – the good news of Jesus Christ. We need to be ready like Jeremiah to go forth with it, ready to obey the command of the Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples:

 ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel’ (Mark 16:15).

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Image: Horace Vernet, Jeremiah on the Ruins of Jerusalem (1844)