What makes Jeremiah a prophet? The book of Jeremiah tells how he was called:
Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “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.”
Jeremiah pushes back because he is young and questions his call:
Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”
However, the Lord has chosen the right guy and encourages him:
But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.”
The Lord then gives him his mission:
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
And immediately the Lord begins to train him:
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”
The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” Then the Lord said to me, “Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land.
I have heard it interpreted that Jeremiah is seeing a vision of an almond tree and a vision of a boiling pot. Could that be true? Yes, but it’s not obvious to me from the text as these are both common, everyday items that Jeremiah could have seen from his vantage point. Regardless, the concept is that the Lord speaks to Jeremiah, calls his attention to something which Jeremiah responds to, and the Lord gives him the interpretation. The Lord is training Jeremiah to listen to Him and be responsive to Him in real time.
What can we learn from Jeremiah’s call?
- He was designated to be a prophet while still in the womb
- He was called even in the womb
- The Lord empowered him to prophesy
- Once he accepted the call, the Lord began to train him
My encouragement for you:
Ask the Lord for a word, a vision, a dream or something to share with someone and then act on it. Develop a pattern of reaching out to the Lord in order to bless others with His word, and watch the intimacy grow in your relationship and as a result the increase and depth of the words you receive! As we grow in intimacy with the Lord we become more like Him and just as we trust Him more, He trusts us more. He who is faithful in little is faithful in much.