 | Jeremiah 1:7 "But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak."
I just recently preached at a church where many of the people have jobs that are hard to conceive having. These people know what it is to obey and to do things most of us would consider extraordinary. The church sits outside of the Washington, D.C., area; so you can imagine the bureaus and agencies for which these folks work. I also know a Marine who was shot in combat over in Afghanistan. The last thing he said to fellow soldiers before crossing an open field was, "We are going to get shot at." Not only were they shot at, this soldier was shot and wounded. These soldiers intentionally put themselves in harm's way in order to take a position they were commanded to take. I cannot imagine obeying while knowing I would be shot at!
Jeremiah 1 is an interesting and familiar account of God's commissioning of Jeremiah. God said that He already knew Jeremiah and made Jeremiah before he was born. That is an interesting reminder that God knows you, regardless of your parents, family, and background. God knew you before you were born, and God knew Jeremiah long before his mother ever saw him!
The fact that God knew you even before you were born is comforting because whatever is being asked of you by God today is not being asked in ignorance. Now, it might seem frightening to you because you are ignorant of what it requires and what God intends, but God knows you. At first, Jeremiah thought God had the wrong person; he said, "Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child." (verse 6) Jeremiah was to preach a tough message to mean people, but God told him, "Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak." Jeremiah did not know what he could do until he obeyed.
It all goes back to the phrase "trust and obey." You will never make any progress in life and never know what you can do until you trust and obey. You may have questions about God's direction in your life, but the key is obedience. Sometimes my kids, when I ask them to do something, will say, "But I can't!" or, "I don't know how!" Has that ever happened to you? It may be that sometimes, as an imperfect father, I ask my kids to do something they cannot do or do not know how to do; but usually "I can't" or "I don't know how" means "I don't want to (or be able to)." They are expressing a matter of will, not ability.
If a person trains for the F.B.I. or the Secret Service, he (or she) must learn the art of discipline, training, and obeying what he or she is told to do. Most of the people I met at this church were "normal" people who did uncommon work on a daily basis. How much more could I do for God if I would just obey Him?! You will never know what you can do until you obey. The question is, will you?
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