“The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Jeremiah 1: 4-6 (1)
With these words, there unfolds a drama of stirring influence. More awe-inspiring is this event than the breath-taking results of God’s command that calls all things into being.
An intensely private moment between God and Jeremiah reveals God’s unique intention for the human race. “The word of the Lord came to me(Jeremiah) saying, ” Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart.”
As expected, such a revelation initiates a response of disbelief from Jeremiah. Heaven’s perspectives, when revealed, are rarely, if ever, in sync with human understanding. Jeremiah suggests to the Almighty,’ Your Heavenly vision concerning me is somewhat different from my own. I must now consider Your view of me in the light of my preparation in my earthly home.
The world’s way of preparation for human undertakings is vastly different from God’s way of preparing a Jeremiah or anyone else. The most immediate impacts on a child’s behavioural development are traditions, social mores, and expectations. No-one in Jeremiah’s hometown of Anathoth expects him to be a prophet, least of all, Jeremiah himself. Past History confirms the established order for such engagements. The mere suggestion of it being otherwise plunged Jeremiah into a panic attack!
” I am only a child. I do not know how to speak.” At that moment, the world comes to Jeremiah’s defence with the appropriate suit of armour, the most used antidote for all such divine challenges, ” I Can’t Do That!”
However, God’s curricula for the preparation of this prophet is in sharp contrast to the world’s expectation.
Listen to the poet, William Wordsworth reflect upon that contrast :
” Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!
Shades of the prison-house begin to close
Upon the growing Boy,
But he beholds the light, and whence it flows,
He sees it in his joy;
The Youth, who daily farther from the east
Must travel, still is Nature’s Priest,
And by the vision splendid
Is on his way attended;
At length the Man perceives it die away,
And fade into the light of common day”.
Could this possibly be the nexus between the OldTestament story of Jeremiah and ourselves? The truth expressed by God concerning Jeremiah is the revelation of God’s way with each of us. Before we came to be, we already existed with Our Creator. It was never God’s intention that human beings depend upon worldly ingenuities and skills while living our lives here. God intends that each individual remains in His Workshop throughout his sojourn. ” Certainly, I will be with you.” affirms the Creator, to the trembling, reluctant child. “Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today, I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow, build and plant.” ( Jeremiah 1:9-10)
But as with Jeremiah, so also with us still. God is never involved remotely or arbitrarily. Instead, God, first of all, identifies situations on earth, waiting for some special revelation of His Presence. So you are here as a co-worker with Him.
The world has always been a place wherein
absolute control is the goal. The phraseology which Jeremiah uses to record his experience is noteworthy. “The word of the Lord came to me.” We must admire the astuteness of any person who hears above the noisy din of the world, the Voice of the Eternal, especially in the day when Jeremiah lived. Since then, the ‘Word Became Flesh and dwelt among us.” In God’s eternal Workshop, we are graciously equipped for His appointed task. Here,
Jesus, His Son, the master-builder, accepts us into His Workshop, thus fulfilling the Father’s promise,” Certainly, I will be with you.”
A Prayer To Follow This Meditation
Father,
I stood in silence to admire the panoply of autumn colours, and I heard You call my name! At night the harvest moon was clearly in competition with the morning sun to fix a lasting memory in my mind, and I heard You laugh and call my name. And at the end of the day, as I knelt for bedtime vespers, I felt Your hand upon my brow and knew that I dwelt in My Father’s world.
Here am I, my Father. May You find some way to use even me to contribute to this world’s beauty and to turn human thoughts to You and Your Presence everywhere I go. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.
HYMN: Here I am, Lord ( click link below )
This Is My Father’s World
Editorial Notes
1. Scripture quotations are from the NIV
translation.
2. 563. Ode. Intimations of Immortality. By
William Wordsworth.
3. Photo. Gros Morne National Park,
Newfoundlandhttp://www.grosmorne.com/