The Unlikely Candidate
Jeremiah
1:4–10
“Surely You’ve Got
the Wrong Person”
Have you ever
found yourself thinking, “God could never use someone like me”?
Maybe you’ve
looked at your life and thought, I’m too inexperienced. I’m too old. I don’t
know enough. I’ve made too many mistakes. There are far better people than me.
Most of us have
had those thoughts.
The interesting
thing is that nearly every person God called in the Bible had exactly the same
reaction.
Moses said he
couldn’t speak.
Gideon insisted
he came from the weakest family.
Isaiah cried out
that he had unclean lips.
Jonah ran away.
And Jeremiah?
Jeremiah simply said, “Lord… I’m just a kid.”
It’s comforting,
isn’t it? The heroes of faith weren’t fearless superheroes. They were ordinary
people who found themselves standing before an extraordinary God.
Today’s reading
isn’t simply about the calling of an ancient prophet. It’s about the way God
still calls ordinary people—people like you and me—to serve Him in the places
He has planted us.
Let’s listen
again to God’s Word from Jeremiah chapter 1.
I. Before You Knew God, God Knew You
The very first
thing God says to Jeremiah is astonishing:
“Before I formed
you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I consecrated you.”
Imagine hearing
those words.
Jeremiah’s story
didn’t begin on the day he heard God’s voice.
It began long
before he took his first breath.
Before his parents
dreamed of him…
Before anyone knew
his name…
Before Jeremiah had
done anything good—or anything bad—
God already knew
him.
That tells us
something wonderful.
Our lives are not
accidents.
We are not random
collections of cells drifting through history.
We are known.
Loved.
Seen.
God’s knowledge of
us comes before our achievements, before our failures, before our doubts.
That’s incredibly
freeing.
So much of life is
spent asking, Who am I? What am I supposed to do?
We search for
answers everywhere. We take personality tests. We compare ourselves with
others. We wonder whether we’re successful enough or gifted enough.
But God says, “I
knew you before you ever started asking those questions.”
Our purpose doesn’t
begin with us.
It begins with Him.
II. The Excuses We Love to Keep
Jeremiah hears God’s
call…
…and immediately starts
making excuses.
“Ah, Lord God! I do not
know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”
Can you hear the panic?
God says, “I’ve
appointed you.”
Jeremiah replies, “You
must have the wrong person.”
Honestly, that’s a very
human response.
Whenever God opens a
door, our eyes usually go straight to everything we think is wrong with us.
“I don’t know enough.”
“I’ve never done this
before.”
“I’m not outgoing.”
“I’m too shy.”
“I’m too busy.”
“I’m too old.”
“I’m too young.”
“I’ve messed up too
much.”
Our excuses may change
over the years, but they all say the same thing:
“Lord, surely someone
else would do this better.”
Fear has a remarkable
ability to shrink our vision.
It makes our weaknesses
look enormous and God’s power look very small.
Jeremiah wasn’t really
measuring himself against the task.
He was forgetting to
measure the task against God.
And perhaps that’s
where some of us are today.
III. God Doesn’t Argue With the
Excuse
I find God’s
response fascinating.
He doesn’t stop
to debate Jeremiah.
He doesn’t give
him a motivational speech.
He simply says,
“Do not say, ‘I
am only a youth.’”
In other words,
“Stop defining
yourself by what you think you lack.”
Then God shifts
Jeremiah’s focus.
Jeremiah keeps
saying, “I…”
God keeps saying,
“I…”
“I send.”
“I command.”
“I am with you.”
The center of the
story is no longer Jeremiah.
It’s God.
That changes
everything.
Faith isn’t
confidence in ourselves.
Faith is
confidence in the One who sends us.
Notice the
simplicity of God’s instructions.
Go where I send
you.
Say what I tell
you.
Don’t be afraid.
Why?
Because I am with
you.
Not because
you’re strong.
Not because
you’re eloquent.
Not because
you’ll never make mistakes.
Because I’m with
you.
Those four words
have carried God’s people through centuries of impossible situations.
“I am with you.”
They’re enough.
IV. When God Touches What We Lack
Then comes one of the
most tender moments in the passage.
“The Lord reached out
His hand and touched my mouth.”
What a beautiful
picture.
God doesn’t merely
issue commands from heaven.
He comes near.
He touches the very
place where Jeremiah feels most inadequate.
Jeremiah says,
“I can’t speak.”
God says,
“Then let Me take
care of your mouth.”
That’s often how God
works.
He doesn’t always
remove our weakness.
Instead, He meets us
in it.
Our weakness becomes
the place where His strength shines brightest.
Many of us know that
feeling.
You’ve wondered how
to comfort a grieving friend.
How to talk with your
children about faith.
How to witness to a
neighbour.
How to pray when
words won’t come.
In those moments,
remember Jeremiah.
God still gives His
people the words they need.
Not perfect words.
Not polished
speeches.
Just faithful words.
V. First the Demolition, Then the
Garden
Finally, God
tells Jeremiah what his ministry will involve.
It’s quite a
list.
To pluck up.
To tear down.
To destroy.
To overthrow.
Only then—
To build.
To plant.
At first glance
it sounds harsh.
But anyone
who’s ever renovated an old house understands exactly what’s happening.
Before you
paint the walls…
You have to
remove the mould.
Before you lay
a new floor…
You have to rip
out the rotten boards.
Before you
plant a garden…
You pull the
weeds.
Growth often
begins with clearing away what doesn’t belong.
The same is
true in our spiritual lives.
Sometimes God
lovingly tears down our pride.
Sometimes He
uproots bitterness.
Sometimes He
exposes lies we’ve believed for years.
Not because He
delights in breaking things.
But because
He’s preparing the ground for something better.
God never
demolishes without also rebuilding.
He tears down
so He can plant.
He wounds so He
can heal.
He prunes so
life can flourish.
Conclusion: God Still Chooses the
Unlikely
So where does
this leave us today?
Perhaps you’re
still thinking,
“I’m not the kind
of person God uses.”
If that’s true,
then you’re in excellent company.
David was the
forgotten shepherd boy.
Moses stumbled
over his words.
Peter often spoke
before he thought.
Jeremiah was
frightened.
Paul once
persecuted the Church.
Again and again,
God chooses unlikely people.
Not because
they’re impressive.
But because His
grace is.
The Gospel itself
tells the same story.
God didn’t save
the world through military power or political influence.
He saved it
through a carpenter from Nazareth who carried a cross.
The world calls
that weakness.
God calls it
salvation.
Maybe God isn’t
asking you to preach to nations.
But He may be
asking you to encourage one lonely person.
To forgive
someone.
To serve quietly.
To raise your
children in the faith.
To speak hope
into a hurting family.
To stand for
truth with gentleness and courage.
Never
underestimate what God can do through one willing heart.
The question has
never been, “Am I good enough?”
The question is,
“Will I trust the One who promises to be with me?”
Years later, the
Apostle Paul encouraged another timid young servant named Timothy:
“God has not
given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control.”
The God who
strengthened Jeremiah is the same God who strengthens His Church today.
So don’t let fear
write the story of your life.
Let God write it.
Because He knew
you before you were born.
He has never lost
sight of you.
He walks beside
you.
And He delights
in using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things for His kingdom.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Prayer
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for knowing us long before we ever knew
You. Thank You for calling ordinary people into Your extraordinary work.
Forgive us for the times we’ve hidden behind fear,
excuses, or feelings of inadequacy. Help us to stop looking only at ourselves
and to fix our eyes on You.
When we feel weak, remind us that Your strength is
made perfect in weakness. When we don’t know what to say, place Your words on
our lips. When we are afraid to take the next step, reassure us with Your
promise: “I am with you.”
Where our hearts need rebuilding, tear down
whatever keeps us from trusting You. Uproot our pride, our bitterness, and our
fears, and plant instead faith, hope, love, and joyful obedience.
Use each of us—in our homes, our workplaces, our
schools, our neighbourhoods, and our church—to bear witness to Christ.
We ask all this in the name of Jesus, who calls us,
equips us, and never leaves us.
Amen.
Go in peace.
And remember: God has never been looking for
perfect people. He has always been looking for willing ones.
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