Jeremiah 1:7 - part 3

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."
Jeremiah 1:7

God didn't accept Jeremiah's excuse. God knew that once Jeremiah accepted his mission, his task, that Jeremiah would be obedient and fulfill the work of being a prophet faithfully. While God had known Jeremiah before he was born and had sanctified him and ordained him to be a prophet, Jeremiah still had to make the choices and decisions every day to do what God taught him was right. God knew in advance what Jeremiah would choose with every decision he faced. Yet Jeremiah had freedom to choose. God's knowledge was like us looking at what has happened in the past, except God could see Jeremiah's future. When Jeremiah was called to be a prophet, he had to choose. His age and lack of experience made him afraid to accept the call. God had watched as Jeremiah grew up and as Jeremiah learned the lessons that God wanted him to learn. Unlike many others in Judah at that time, Jeremiah was willing to do what was right. He no doubt had difficulties just all do, but he was able to trust in God and rely on God's strength to overcome the difficulties. Jeremiah had shown God that he had a heart open to accepting the truth that God gave him. Jeremiah was teachable and Jeremiah was willing to stand with and for God. God knew Jeremiah's character. During the time that Jeremiah was growing up, Judah was a very sinful place. Even with the reforms of Josiah, most people only outwardly did what was right, in their hearts they still were in rebellion against God. God had a plan and purpose for each, but the choices they made did not allow those plans to be fulfilled. God worked on the hearts of all, yet the majority decided to turn away from God and do the things that they wanted to do instead of living lives in accordance with God's wisdom for what was best for them. They embraced the sins of the flesh and the sins of power because they thought that was where their satisfaction and happiness lay. God knew Jeremiah's character, knew what he would do in various arenas of his life when faced with a problem. So God knew that Jeremiah would be obedient and true. Jeremiah would go to all to whom God sent him. He wouldn't decide to go to the poor and not the rulers, or choose to go to the rulers and ignore the average man. Jeremiah would go to all that God sent him to go to. Jeremiah would speak what God told him to speak. Jeremiah would not speak the words that came from inside himself or the words that he knew people wanted to hear that would bring accolades from the people upon himself, but would speak what God told him to say. This would not be easy. There were many false prophets who told the people things the people and rulers wanted to hear. These false prophets spoke in the name of God and they spoke with authority. The people liked what they heard and they honored the false prophets and turned hatred upon God's true prophets. God knew that Jeremiah would be faithful to obey Him and speak the words that God gave him, because Jeremiah had spent his few years obeying God and doing what was right. Jeremiah had accepted the new heart at some time after he was old enough to know for himself right from wrong. He had lived a faithful life in the power of God. Jeremiah let God work at removing the sins from his life and teaching him the true way of obedience. God made Jeremiah into a young man willing to follow God through the fires of hatred that would soon engulf him. God did this not in spite of Jeremiah's will, but because Jeremiah was willing to allow God to be in him, to change his character from one of selfishness to one that was becoming more and more in accord with the character of God.

Lord,
Help me to be faithful to do your will. Cleanse my life of all that is sinful and evil. Make my character like Yours so that I may be faithful in my service to You in all that I do.