God doesn't care about your resumé
Jeremiah 1:4-8 NIV
The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.
You may have heard people talking negatively about the younger generation. Comments like “the problematic generation” are often thrown around, which can leave many youths feeling excluded or undervalued.
The norm in our society is that you’ll need a solid resumé to get a job. Furthermore, you’ll need explicit experiences and credits to pursue further education. You’ll need to have accomplished things to provide. It is easy to transfer this line of thinking to the kingdom of God, believing we need to “earn” our place or prove our worth to be used by Him. But let us demolish that myth! Throughout history, there are uncountable times were God has used unqualified people - both in the present and in the Bible. I think Jeremiah’s feelings resonate deeply with many of us. Sure, you can understand that he hesitated a bit when God said He wanted to use him. But God’s response holds profound lessons for us, which we will explore further.
First, you are qualified!
It’s tempting to assume that Jeremiah, one of the greatest prophets in history, was always confident and eager to serve God. But in these verses, we can read about him being nervous and doubting his capacity. Still, God is convinced that he is the right guy for the job. That tells us something about God's priorities. He doesn’t measure your worth by experiences, skills, or resumé. Instead, He values your willingness and heart. And to top it off, we don't need to wait until adulthood. If God wanted to use Jeremiah back then, He wants to use you now. While we might not see prophets today in the same way as those in the Old Testament, every believer is called to spread God’s message. Speak with your words, through your lifestyle, and by your actions. Even if we feel unqualified, God is searching for a willing heart. Why you may ask - we find the answer within verse 8 “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you”. This leads us to another takeaway from these verses.
God is what it’s all about!
So, we’ve established that it’s not our qualifications that make God choose to use us - simply because God himself already is qualified. Everything we lack, He can provide us with. If we’re unsure how to act or speak, God provides wisdom. If we feel afraid, He offers courage. If we don’t know how things will work out, God knows and He can do things that seem impossible.
God never planned for us to make it on our own. He would never leave us stranded. With that in mind, we can dwell on the bible verse: “Not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you”.
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