Jeremiah 1:6-7

“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.”

Excuses, excuses! Jeremiah followed in the well-worn tradition of trying to avoid doing what God was calling him to do. His words remind us of Moses who responded to God’s call from the burning bush with a long list of reasons why he was a most unsuitable candidate to lead God’s people. Now Jeremiah tries the same approach. He felt that his age was the decisive issue. Even if everything else about him was suitable, his age, he felt sure, was the reason why God would need to look for someone else. His words were, of course, absurd because he was addressing them to the creator of the world! God had formed Jeremiah in his mother’s womb and, even before he was born, had set him apart to be a prophet.

Times haven’t changed that much, and people are still offering God reasons why he has chosen the wrong person. When various people were suggesting to me that I might be called to be a minister, I was eager to find a way of avoiding it. My excuse was that I was far too sensitive and knew that I couldn’t cope with accompanying people through a bereavement. I knew that, emotionally, I would never be able to cope with taking funeral services and so it was foolish for me to allow myself to go forward for ministry. My thinking was careful and logical but completely wrong, because I hadn’t factored God into my calculations. I had forgotten that, since he was the creator of the world, he might just be able to give me the strength to help people at such times. My objection was laughable, and you may not be surprised to learn that I believe that my time spent with grieving families has been amongst the most powerful and effective of my ministry. That’s God for you!

On the face of it, Moses’ and Jeremiah’s objections to God seemed entirely reasonable. They just happened to be wrong. And they were wrong because God is God and perfectly able to give to you and me the strength, wisdom and gifts to do whatever he calls us to do.

Question: What excuses have you used to avoid serving God?

Prayer: Lord God, I thank you that you have work for me to do. Forgive me for those times when I have tried to slide out of obedience to you by making excuses. Amen

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Erscheinungs­datum: 20.8.2022, 05:00:00