Scripture Notes: I Am Too Young! (Jeremiah 1)

Jeremiah was a young man, perhaps still in his teens, when God called him to a prophetic mission. Imagine Jeremiah’s surprise when he heard God’s voice for the first time, the voice 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.”

To Jeremiah’s credit, he believed the message. He understood what God was asking. But he certainly didn’t think he was the right person for the job. “I do not know how to speak,” Jeremiah protested, “for I am only a youth.” I’m too young to be a prophet!

God didn’t scold Jeremiah for this. But He knew Jeremiah far better than the young man knew himself. God simply told His reluctant prophet not to say that he is too young, for God will be the One in control of this mission. God will do the sending. God will tell the young prophet what to say. So Jeremiah should not be afraid, for, as God assured him, “I am with you to deliver you.”

So Jeremiah said yes. God touched the young man’s mouth, giving Jeremiah His words and telling him that He has set him “over nations and over kings, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” In other words, Jeremiah would be God’s agent of sorts, bringing God’s message to Judah and to the whole world, and that message would entail both discipline and restoration.  

The call of Jeremiah reminds us of some critical truths. First, God has a plan for us, and He has had that plan for all eternity. Second, He calls each and every one of us personally. Third, when God wants us to do something, He gives us the grace and the strength to do it, guiding and protecting us always. We, however, must be open to His gifts. Fourth, God has always been, is now, and will always be with us because He loves us.