When God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, he wasn’t ready—at least, that’s what he thought. But God was going to use him for His glory.
The Plan (v.5)
Humanity broke because of their reckless rebellion against God.
But since God is merciful, He didn’t give up on His people. He redeemed them, suffered for them, and rescued them.
Prophets were people who brought God’s messages to the world. God sent messages of judgment, repentance, redemption, and hope.
This time when humanity rebelled, God had a person in mind to become a prophet—someone who hadn’t even been born yet. Someone timid and humble. Someone named Jeremiah.
The Calling (v.4–7)
God didn’t wait for Jeremiah to find his “spiritual gift”. He went straight to Jeremiah and called him.
God didn’t need Jeremiah—but He did have an awesome plan.
The Equipping (v.7–10)
God is not interested in divides—He wants to unify even the most divided (John 4:1–26, Luke 19:1–10). Social status, sinful background, opinions, age, gender, sickness—does any of that matter in light of eternity?
Jeremiah pointed out that he was young since that could disqualify him from work. But in verse seven, God says, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.”
Your age shouldn’t stop you from evangelizing. God changes things. He’s with even the youngest children (Mark 10:13–16). He equips the people He calls.
You’re Being Called
Whatever your job or conviction, God is calling you to a task that requires you to go out and do something.
For Jeremiah, that meant declaring justice and mercy. For us, the task isn’t much different—we still have to declare the truth, the Good News of the Gospel, the judgment we subject ourselves to if we stay separated from God, and the love of Christ on the cross.
But maybe we can go a little lighter on the doomsday terms.
Carrying Out the Calling (v.17)
In Jeremiah 1:17, God gives Jeremiah four individual commands. What are they?
Prepare yourself, arise, speak, and do not be dismayed.
Prepare Yourself
Let’s imagine that God calls you to an apologetics debate, but you’ve never studied apologetics in your life. What are the chances you’ll win anyone over? Probably pretty slim.
To win, you should prepare. You should study apologetics. You should do your research.
Fulfilling your calling requires preparation.
Arise
When you stand, you’re not staying idle, inattentive, or forgotten. You’re taking an action that will likely draw some attention.
You can’t be lazy about mission work—and while it does take humility, you also can’t hope someone wanders into your life and is instantly transformed just by seeing you exist. You have to put in the effort, live transformed, and get out there.
Even if that means drawing attention to yourself.
Speak
This third command is another action word. As a prophet, Jeremiah couldn’t stay quiet about his convictions or the words God gave him. Sometimes, staying quiet is easier. It’s scary to talk. But it was Jeremiah’s new role, and he had to do it even if nobody liked him for it.
Don’t Be Afraid
Any “good” churched Christian will tell you that God trumps fear.
But if we’re being honest, have we felt that?
Fear distracts, traps, and questions our relationships with God and others. We’re afraid of so many things—failure, ridicule, and loneliness, just to name a few.
Here’s a fact to carry with you: God does trump fear. He stomps on it.
But we’ll probably have to cast aside what we’re afraid to lose. Comfort and acceptance don’t come easily when we carry out God’s will. The world should hate you for loving God because everything you stand for goes against everything they want.
Fear is real. But if fear keeps you from doing God’s will, I encourage you to dig into why you’re afraid—is it pride or shame of Christ?
Our problems are bigger than us, but God is bigger than our problems.
There’s evidence that He’s on His kids’ side. Don’t be dismayed when God tells you to do something—go out boldly. You might mess up, and He might push you out of your comfort zone.
But you, like Jeremiah, are called to do great things.
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