ESOCS Devotional 1 February 2025 – No Excuses When He Calls
MEMORY VERSE: “Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.” Jeremiah 1:6 KJV
TEXT: JEREMIAH 1:1-19
The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified[a] you;
I [b]ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then said I:
“Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
7 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.
8 Do not be afraid of their faces,
For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
9 Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me:
“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To root out and to pull down,
To destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant.”
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
And I said, “I see a [c]branch of an almond tree.”
12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am [d]ready to perform My word.”
13 And the word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see?”
And I said, “I see a boiling pot, and it is facing away from the north.”
14 Then the Lord said to me:
“Out of the north calamity shall break forth
On all the inhabitants of the land.
15 For behold, I am calling
All the families of the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord;
“They shall come and each one set his throne
At the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem,
Against all its walls all around,
And against all the cities of Judah.
16 I will utter My judgments
Against them concerning all their wickedness,
Because they have forsaken Me,
Burned incense to other gods,
And worshiped the works of their own hands.
17 “Therefore prepare yourself and arise,
And speak to them all that I command you.
Do not be dismayed before their faces,
Lest I dismay you before them.
18 For behold, I have made you this day
A fortified city and an iron pillar,
And bronze walls against the whole land—
Against the kings of Judah,
Against its princes,
Against its priests,
And against the people of the land.
19 They will fight against you,
But they shall not prevail against you.
For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”
Read Other ESOCS Devotional Here
Jeremiah’s calling was indicated only by the fact that the word of the Lord came to him. Before he was born, God had chosen him for a special ministry to His people. So, he was born for this special ministry to which God set him apart and commissioned him. He was commissioned to be a prophet not only in Judah but to all those nations who affected God’s people in some way at that time in history. Above all, his work was to warn both the Jews and all the nations of the world about God’s judgement on sin.
As Moses, Jeremiah knew his own inabilities (a youth) and thus sought to use it to excuse himself from his calling. But God told him not to be afraid while promising to see him through whatever troubles he would encounter – deportation, insults (verse 8) but not to keep troubles from coming. His full commissioning and assurance came when God put His words in his mouth by touching it.
Jeremiah’s calling leaves us with so many lessons. God knew us, as He knew Jeremiah, long before we were born or even conceived. When we feel discouraged or inadequate, we should remember that God has always thought of us as valuable and had a purpose in mind for us. Each Christian has a purpose in life but some are anointed by God for a specific work – Samson, David, John the Baptist, and Paul. Often people struggle with new challenges for lack of self-confidence, inadequate ability, training or experience.
We have many Jeremiahs today who think they are too young and inexperienced to be God’s witnesses to the world. God knows our abilities though hidden from our own self-perception. He gave them to us. If God gives you a specific assignment, accept it cheerfully and do it with excellence. If God has not given you any, then seek to fulfil the mission common to all believers – to love, obey, serve God and witness for Him – until such a time as His guidance becomes clear.
CHALLENGES
- There is no challenge we have that God does not know and will not be able to handle.
PRAYER POINT
- Dear Lord, give me the grace to obey when you call me and abundant grace to follow.
FURTHER READING: Judges 13:3-5; 1 Samuel 16:12, 13; Galatians 1:15, 16
ESOCS Devotional 1 February 2025
