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You are Important

“The Lord gave me this message: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”¹

In the first chapter of Jeremiah, we read the calling of Jeremiah. This is one of those passages that I love reading over and over. Many may believe that this passage applied only to Jeremiah, but we know that the Bible is God’s Word to all of us, His people. Therefore, this passage applies as much to you and me as it did to Jeremiah. We may not all be called to be a prophet, but God formed us and has chosen us for an important task.

There are three things that stand out to me in today’s passage, and that I believe God is reminding us of.

I knew you. God knew everything about us even before we were born. God knows us better than we know ourselves! Psalm 139:16 says, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

I set you apart. God has chosen us for a purpose. We are special to him. Deuteronomy 14:2 says, “You have been set apart as holy to the LORD your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.”

I appointed you. God has called us and sends us out as his children to the world to be a testimony. John 15:16 says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

There may be times when we lose sight of our purpose or feel discouraged because we feel we do not have the needed qualities for our situation. However, just as God prepared Jeremiah for the time he was living, God has also prepared you and me for the times we are living. He has been preparing us since before we were born, and we can be confident that He is with us always.

Each of us is unique. God never made another person like you and he never will. There is no one that possesses the same gifts as you and no one can do the things you do like you do. God is our strength and we can trust that we can do all things through Him. Even in moments of discouragement, let us remember that God has chosen us to do great things. He knows everything about us, and still chose us to be his children. When we choose to see ourselves as God sees us, we will begin reaching our potential and be used by God in a big way. Just as God told Jeremiah, he is also telling us “Get up and prepare for action!”²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, what a great privilege to be fully known and fully loved by you. Thank you for choosing me to be your child and making me unique. Help me to believe that I can do great things, not because of what I have done, but because of what you have done and can do through me. Thank you for being with me always and preparing me for such a time as this. I am ready to be used by you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

 

1.      Jeremiah 1:4-5 (NLT).

2.      Jeremiah 1:17 (NLT).