Will Graham – Devotion

 

Jeremiah 1:4–10

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”  Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”  But the Lord said to me: “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.  Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.  Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.  See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”

For many years I have traveled the world as an evangelist, sharing the Good News of Christ on six continents. The faces may change, but the concerns of the heart are very often the same. I’ve found that one of the biggest concerns weighing on people—whether in the United States or on the other side of the world—is the matter of purpose.

People naturally wonder why they are here, who they’re supposed to be, and what they’re supposed to do. They want to know that their life has meaning—a purpose.

The answer—like the answer to many of life’s questions—can be found in the Bible. Let’s look at Jeremiah 1:4-10.

We were created for a purpose (vv. 4 and 5): As humans, we are created for a purpose, and that purpose comes from God. He says, “I formed you … I knew you … I sanctified you … I ordained you …” God created us for a well-established purpose, and gave us the means to accomplish that work. Your calling and my calling were put into place before we were even formed.

Further, verse 4 tells us exactly where to look for our purpose. “Then the word of the Lord came to me …” If you want to find your purpose, spend time in God’s Word, through which He speaks to us.

Ditch the excuses (v. 6): Often we recognize our purpose, our calling, but try to run the other direction. Humanly speaking, there are often excuses one can use to avoid the purpose that God may have for you. Maybe you can make more money elsewhere. Perhaps embracing your purpose will make a less comfortable life for you and your family. Like Jeremiah, you may not feel adequately equipped for the task—too young, too old, unskilled.

If you truly want to find your purpose, however, you may need to step out in faith, become uncomfortable and offer yourself to be used by God. Which leads us to …

God equips those He calls (vv. 7-10): Finally, we are reminded how God equips those whom He calls by addressing the two issues that Jeremiah brought up. First, concerning his youth, God promises that He Himself will be with Jeremiah wherever he is sent. Second, as for Jeremiah’s speaking problem, God tells him that He was going to place in Jeremiah’s mouth the words to speak.

God is not going to call you to a purpose without giving you the tools you need to accomplish His plan. What a great concept—God gives us purpose, and then equips us for His purposes!

My friends, you may not feel like you have a purpose in life. You may feel lost and misdirected. I encourage you to seek God, study His Word, and cry out to Him in prayer. Follow God’s purpose for your life, get past the excuses, and allow Him to work through you.

God gives us purpose, but you have to know Him to find yours.

16.k. “Thus says the LORD who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not”

Psalms 139:13  For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Job 10:9-12     Remember that you have made me like clay; and will you return me to the dust?  Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese?  You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews.  You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.

Psalms 71:6    Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.

Job 31:15     Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?

Isaiah 44:2    Thus says the LORD who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not,

Jeremiah 1:5     “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.”

Isaiah 46:3    “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb;

The intelligent design movement suggests that the existence of an orderly, purposeful creation implies the necessity of an organized, purposeful design, and, therefore, a Designer.   Applying that idea to human beings, the presence of humans with the ability to find and fulfill a purpose in their life suggests a Creator who created them with a purpose to fulfill. There are certainly plenty of biblical examples: Abraham was called to create a chosen people; Moses was called to shape that people into a nation; Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to the nation; David was called to be their king; Jesus was called to redeem Jews and Gentiles alike from sin; Paul was called to deliver Jesus’ Good News to Gentiles and their kings…to cite a few examples. Psalm 139:13-16 pictures God forming humans and ordaining the days of their lives.  If you are seeking God’s specific purpose for your life, ask Him to show it to you. And ask in faith, believing He will shine light on your path.  True purpose in life can only be found in a life that is fully surrendered to Jesus Christ and the will of God.

Before you were born

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.”

Psalms 71:6  Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.

Psalms 22:9  Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.  On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Isaiah 46:3  “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb;  even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.

Psalms 139:15  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  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.

Isaiah 49:1   Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The LORD called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.

Jeremiah 1:5    “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.”

Galatians 1:15    But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,

Don’t these verses just give you more and more understanding and confidence in God.  “Before I was formed”, “in Your book were written, every on of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them”, “even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save”.  It is hard for us to understand, but God is God and before Him is no other.  Scripture says He knows the beginning from the end.  These verses indicate not only does He know it but He is the author of it.  He is the author of the very beginning of our lives.  He gives us free will to choose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey.  It is no surprise to God the paths we take in either obedience or disobedience.  He has purpose for each of our lives.  Seek Him, praise Him,  and allow Him to lead you through to eternity.