March 3 I Friday

Numbers 26-28

Mark 8

“But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am too young.” You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.”  —Jeremiah 1:7-8

Many of us have probably wondered: “What do I do with my life?” Jeremiah may have asked that same question when he heard God say, “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.… You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you…. I have put My words in your mouth” (Jeremiah 1:5-9).

       God told Jeremiah nine things about Himself: “I formed you, I knew you, I set you apart, I appointed you, I send you, I command you, I am with you, I will rescue you, I have put My words in your mouth.” While only saying two things about Jeremiah: “You must go wherever I send you” and “you must say whatever I command you.” This is because God is the initiator and Jeremiah is the responder.

       But how did Jeremiah know where to go? Did he hear some sort of sound from heaven that said, “Jeremiah, I am talking to you!” How do we know where we should go and how does God reveal His plans for us? There are some people who read Scripture and say that it speaks in such a way that they believe, “the word of the Lord came to me saying…” Yet, as we grow in our Christian lives, we become familiar with the voice of God and how He speaks to us. He speaks to each of us in different ways but over time we develop a sense of how God speaks to us personally. If we are not sure if what we hear is from God or that it is real, just hold the message lightly for the time being and wait until the outer circumstances match this inner sense. Because the internal, where what we feel and sense, will eventually match external realities.

       Our lives will only make real sense when we find our true purpose is tied into the life, the agenda and the enabling of God. It is not that God is up here or out there somewhere and we are down here. Even though He made us and knows us, He is not remote from us. His intent is to be fully involved in us and for us to be fully involved in Him. In the course of time we will discover what God was telling us to do will match the circumstances of our day and we will know we are exactly where we are because God directed our paths.

Prayer: Dear God, guide my ears to hear Your voice and give me courage to do what You ask of me. Thank You for Your ever presence in my life.