Read: Jeremiah 1:1-10
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you . . . (v. 5)
During times of disruption and uncertainty, we look for reassurance that someone knows what is going on. We are convinced that the right information will prepare us for the future. We consult experts, expecting them to be prophets.
In Jeremiah 1, the one true God calls a true prophet. The Lord called Jeremiah to prepare his people for a future event: the exile. During the most disruptive and uncertain time imaginable, Jeremiah alone would know what was going on. Ironically, Jeremiah didn’t want the job. When God called, Jeremiah objected: he was unqualified to speak God’s word; he would be unpopular when he pronounced God’s judgment; and he was unprepared for what God had in store.
In response, God said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I consecrated you” (v. 5). His reassurance was not that the way ahead would be smooth or the work easy. Rather, it was that God had planned this ahead of time; he knew the way; and he would give Jeremiah everything he needed.
We do not need to know what is coming. We just need to know the one who knows. Our God knew you before he formed you in the womb. You are not a mistake, and your life is not an accident. Like Jeremiah, we can trust that our Lord planned this ahead of time, he knows the way, and he will give us everything we need. —Ben Van Arragon
As you pray, entrust your life to God’s good purposes.
About the Author
Ben Van Arragon is the Minister of Worship and Leadership at Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He preaches and teaches the Bible in church, online, and anywhere else he has the opportunity.
