Jeremiah 1:6-10: a reflection

When Jeremiah protests that he is only a child and cannot speak, God does not accept the excuse, but assures him that he will be with him and will supply the words he lacks. Ah, Lord GOD, Jeremiah says, I don't know how to speak, for I am a child. But the LORD said, don't say, I am a child; for you must go to whomever I send you, and say whatever I command. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Then God touched his mouth and said, I have put my words in your mouth. Jeremiah felt inadequate, too young, unable to speak; but God would not let him disqualify himself. God promised his presence, I am with you, and his equipping, I have put my words in your mouth, supplying what Jeremiah lacked. This shows that God equips and is with those he calls, supplying what they lack. God equips and is with those he calls; do not disqualify yourself by inadequacy. God supplies what you lack for what he calls you to. Do not say you cannot; God is with you and will equip you. God's presence and equipping overcome our sense of inadequacy.

Notice how God answered Jeremiah's sense of inadequacy. When God called him, Jeremiah protested: I don't know how to speak, for I am a child; too young, too inexperienced, unable. It was a real feeling of inadequacy. But God did not simply accept the excuse and pass Jeremiah by. He told him not to say, I am a child, for God was sending him and would command what he should say. He assured him of his presence: don't be afraid, for I am with you. And he equipped him for the task: touching his mouth and saying, I have put my words in your mouth. God met Jeremiah's inadequacy not by denying it, but by promising his presence and supplying what Jeremiah lacked. This holds encouragement for us when God calls us to something for which we feel inadequate. Like Jeremiah, we can feel too young, too inexperienced, too unable, unqualified, lacking what is needed; and we can be tempted to disqualify ourselves, to say, I cannot, I am not able. But God does not call us and then leave us to our own inadequate resources. He is with those he calls, and he equips them, supplying what they lack for what he calls them to do. Our sense of inadequacy need not disqualify us, for God's presence and equipping overcome it. We do well not to disqualify ourselves by our sense of inadequacy when God calls, but to trust that he is with us and will supply what we lack. Do not disqualify yourself by your sense of inadequacy when God calls. God is with those he calls and supplies what they lack. Do not say you cannot; trust God to equip you for what he asks. God's presence and equipping overcome your inadequacy.

That is worth taking to heart, for God equips and is with those he calls, supplying what they lack, and we need not disqualify ourselves by inadequacy, as God assured the child Jeremiah. We can feel too inadequate for what God calls us to and disqualify ourselves; but God told Jeremiah not to say he was a child, promising his presence and putting his words in his mouth. God equips. When God calls you to something for which you feel inadequate, do not disqualify yourself; trust that he is with you and will supply what you lack. Do not disqualify yourself by your sense of inadequacy when God calls, but trust that he is with you and will supply what you lack, as when Jeremiah protested that he was only a child and could not speak, God did not accept the excuse but assured him he would be with him and supply the words he lacked, telling him not to say he was a child since God was sending him, not to be afraid for God was with him, and then touching his mouth and saying he had put his words in his mouth; for Jeremiah felt inadequate, too young and unable to speak, but God would not let him disqualify himself, promising his presence and his equipping and supplying what Jeremiah lacked, which holds encouragement for us when God calls us to something for which we feel inadequate, since like Jeremiah we can feel too young, inexperienced, unable, and unqualified, and be tempted to disqualify ourselves and say we cannot, but God does not call us and then leave us to our own inadequate resources but is with those he calls and equips them, supplying what they lack for what he calls them to do, so that our sense of inadequacy need not disqualify us since God's presence and equipping overcome it, and we do well not to disqualify ourselves by our sense of inadequacy when God calls but to trust that he is with us and will supply what we lack.