But the Lord said to me,
"Do not say that, 'I am only a youth';
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord." ~ Jeremiah 1:7-8
I may spend more time in Jeremiah than any other book in the Bible for personal devotion. Not only am I partial to studying the prophets, but I believe that this man has a lot to offer us in terms of Christian living.
Jeremiah is called to be a prophet when he is young and from the beginning, doubts his abilities. As the son of a priest, he knows first hand that people are turning away from God and fears what the world will do to him, if they even listen.
The Book of Jeremiah is one of heartache as the young man wrestles with his calling. He was imprisoned, his first draft of the scroll was burned and had to rewrite it, and is under constant attack by his fellow Israelites. In between the prophetic speeches he gives and the trials he is put through in response, we see a very personal relationship between Jeremiah and God.
The Israelites, in general, felt far off from God. They thought He was distant if they even still believed. So, Jeremiah's personal conversations with God and God's constant reassurance that He will be with him, is significant.
So what about us? As a church worker, it's easy for people to get the mindset that we are "like the prophets"; simply delivering the Word of God and being in a perfect spiritual state. Jeremiah shows us that, as humans, this is far from true. Anyone sharing the Word of God still has struggles of their own and still needs to upkeep their personal relationship with God.
This is a double edged sword, though. Not only do those sharing and teaching the Gospel need to have personal devotion and prayer life. But those receiving the Word need to share it as well. As James puts it, "Be doers of the Word and not hearers only" (James 1:22). This is the staple of the Christian life. We receive God's Word, then we share it by what we say and how we live. It's not just for church workers, but Jesus commissions all of us to be "prophets," in speaking the Gospel.
So like Jeremiah, we are called by the Holy Spirit to believe and share in the Good News. That is fueled by our relationship with God. Throughout the whole book we see this cycle, there is constant conversation/prayer between the two as Jeremiah goes through his ministry.
"And I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you,
declares the Lord." ~ Jeremiah 15:20
Komentáře