Get
yourself ready! Stand up and say
to
them whatever I command you. Do
not
be terrified by them, or I will
terrify
you before them.
Jeremiah 1:17
Today we will look at the road sign which
reads Road Work Ahead.
A journey with God is always incredible.
Sometimes it is painful. Sometimes it is precious. Sometimes it is just plain
eye opening.
In order to understand our personal
journey, it will be helpful to take a look at the prophet Jeremiah’s call from
God. He did not attend seminary. He did not write a thesis for an advanced
degree in theology. He did not pray and asked God to choose him as a prophet.
His calling came as a young boy, indicated
by his response to God in Jeremiah 1:6-8. “Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I
cannot speak: for I am a child.” But God made his instructions to Jeremiah
clear: “Say not, I am a child. Go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever
I command thee thou shalt speak.” (KJV) Jeremiah had work to do.
It could be that Jeremiah contemplated his
role in the family business. His father, a priest, would have expected Jeremiah
to follow in his footsteps. A decision between becoming a priest with full-time
employment versus a prophet and never knowing what could happen or where your
next meal would come from might sound easy. Jeremiah’s problem; God Himself changed
Jeremiah’s job description from priest to prophet.
Have you had that experience? Have you
been content with your life when without warning your world turned upside down?
Was your life progressing as you planned, but God...? Have you found yourself in an unexpected
situation? If so, perhaps you can better understand Jeremiah’s reluctance to
answer God’s call to a work that would take him into situations from which he would
need to be delivered, rescued, and saved. Jeremiah’s obedience called him to
trust God with his life—as does yours and mine.
God gave Jeremiah his instructions and a
picture of soon-coming events. God also set forth His expectations and
explained to Jeremiah that he would be provided for. No excuses. With his call
from God made official, his life’s plan instantaneously changed!
Jeremiah began his journey not knowing he would face a pain-filled forty years of Road Work Ahead. Hopefully our journey will be less painful. While we may be different from others in our vocation, our personality, our dreams and goals, we are alike in this; God desires each of us to know Him and to lead others to know Him.
Do not think that you are not qualified. Do not think that God cannot use you. Don’t be fooled by the enemy. If God can use me to write a few words that may touch your heart for Him, He can use you to touch someone else. Like me, there may be much Road Work Ahead in your life, but if you are willing to trust God, it will be a wonderful and exciting journey.
Jeremiah began his journey not knowing he would face a pain-filled forty years of Road Work Ahead. Hopefully our journey will be less painful. While we may be different from others in our vocation, our personality, our dreams and goals, we are alike in this; God desires each of us to know Him and to lead others to know Him.
Do not think that you are not qualified. Do not think that God cannot use you. Don’t be fooled by the enemy. If God can use me to write a few words that may touch your heart for Him, He can use you to touch someone else. Like me, there may be much Road Work Ahead in your life, but if you are willing to trust God, it will be a wonderful and exciting journey.
©JP
2013
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