Jeremiah 1:5 - Before I formed you in the womb

1:5

This verse is the basis for God choosing Jeremiah, and clearly negates the basis we usually apply if God calls us to do something. We immediately look at ourselves, at the type of character we have, the skills we have, and all our weaknesses and fears. Then we look at all the opposing forces. We then conclude that God has made a big mistake in choosing us. God’s approach is very different. He formed us in the womb. Indeed, even before He did that He knew us. God knows us completely. He knows what we were meant to be like before sin intervened. He knows what sin has done to us. And He knows what His salvation will do for us. Before we were born He set us apart. God calling us may have come as a complete surprise to us, but it was not a surprise to God! He knew He was going to call us even before time began. In Jeremiah’s case He had appointed him as a prophet to the nations. We might say we are not prophets like Jeremiah. Maybe not, but God has a purpose for us nonetheless.