4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
This is an incredible passage. Before Jeremiah was even conceived in the womb God knew Him. What does that mean? It means that even before conception Yahweh had knowledge of Jeremiah. How could God know someone before they were even conceived? He had Jeremiah in His mind. The word know also means to to be acquainted, to recognized and to consider.
We know people by facial recognition. We see familiar faces in the crowd. Even technology can recognize people by their faces or voices. Not before we were born. This is a mind blowing truth. Just as God knew Jeremiah before conception He also knew us too. He became acquainted with our personalities, passions, what we would look like and considered the days of our lives.
Before God formed us He knew us. Before God actually fashioned, purposed, determined who we wold be He shaped and designed us like a potter molding clay with intention. We were not haphazardly thrown together. We had and have an intelligent Designer.
God consecrated Jeremiah before he ever drew his first breath. That means God sanctified, dedicated and appointed Jeremiah with a purpose and plan. God set aside Jeremiah to serve as a prophet and this plan existed before Jeremiah ever saw the light of day on planet earth. The same is true for you. You may not believe that. Let me point you to two other scriptures to back this up.
Psalm 139:14-16 (ESV)
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
I am thinking about my good friend Eric. Before God fashioned him in the womb God set him aside to make music. It took him awhile to clue into this but if you have ever heard him play guitar and lead worship it is obvious that is what God created him to do. He takes that old Taylor guitar and plays it like a battle axe against the forces of darkness. He can make sounds come out of that instrument that makes even the dead churches come to life. God has gifted him to reach children, teenagers and adults of all ages with music. I have seen it repeatedly. Playing that guitar is what God designed him to do and those who have experienced it are blessed because of that calling and gift.ing. I often sit back in awe when I watch fulfill His purpose and calling.
I am thinking about my friend Jason. God designed him to be a creative worship pastor. God gave him unique abilities and talents to lead people into meaningful encounters with God. He has so many talents that all blow my mind. He knows more about computers, orchestrations, carpentry, audio, video , music and graphic design than I can fathom. He is so creative he plays multiple instruments. I saw him once take an old guitar turned upside down and he played the back of it like a drum at a youth camp. Those students loved it. I sat back amazed at my friend. God purposed Him to lead worship creatively.
I am thinking of my friend Jess. He just retired from a 23 year pastorate and pastored several churches before that. God designed him to be a theologian, pastor and preacher. He had a library of thousands upon thousands of theology books. Upon his retirement he gave many of them away to me. He is as solid a Bible expositor as I know even though he did not finish Bible school. He is in his seventies and still has a lot of fire in his soul. I suspect God will use him to keep preaching as an interim pastor or even as a pastor in the coming days. God created Him with purpose.
I could go on with a long list of people I see God's intelligent design for. What about you? Do you believe God not only knew you before you were conceived but also intelligently designed you with purpose? It is true. Like one little boy said to his Sunday school teacher, "God don't make no junk."
You are not junk. You are purposed. God determined your life. Maybe you missed your calling somewhere along the way. Maybe you strayed off course. God allows u-turns.
Don't doubt or waste the calling and gifts of God on your life. Whether you are 15, 25, 45 or 75. You were created with purpose just like Jeremiah. Live out your calling, your passion, your talents and your purpose for the glory of God.
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