Jeremiah 1:6-9
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. 7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
Jeremiah was a contemporary of King Josiah, probably not far apart in age. Josiah was just eight years old when he began to reign, 16 when he began to seek the God of David with all his heart, 20 when he began to purge Israel of its idols and 26 when he discovered the Word of the Lord which solidified his reformation and revival until his death. At the opening of the Book of Jeremiah, we are told that the word of the Lord came to him in the thirtieth year of King Josiah, this would be right at the beginning of the reforms being made by King Josiah. We don’t know exactly how old Jeremiah was when this word came to him, Josiah would have been 21 years old, but Jeremiah was young enough to reply to the call of the Lord with our verse today, “Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.” What amazed me was that as God was raising up a King to serve him he was at the same time raising up a prophet to serve him, Jeremiah would outlive him but it seemed that when God wanted to reform and revive Israel he started with the youth who knew themselves to be too weak to accomplish such a task.
The same principle is true today, that God is only interested in using weak vessels. It was young men with no experience and in Jeremiah’s case no confidence, to do his work. His response reminded me of Moses' response when he had become an old shepherd, and my own response when the Lord began to deal with me about preaching. We must realize our own inability because then we find the solution to our weaknesses, His strength. The Lord’s response to Jeremiah was this, “Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.” He assures him of his calling and tells him how it will be accomplished, not by his aged wisdom, or his polished oratory skill but because the Lord that called him was going to be with him in it, “I am with thee.” So the Word of the Lord assures him that although he may have his weaknesses, the Lord will compensate for those weaknesses and will deliver him from anything that might hinder his usefulness. The Lord calmed my fears of inability and weakness with a Word from Phillipians 1:6 when I was wrestling with his call upon my life, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." If you are fearful and hesitant to do what God has called you to do, ask him for a word of assurance, he has obliged countless thousands of his servants with this necessary confirmation.
Then the Lord goes a step further in solidifying the call he placed on Jeremiah’s life. Now going forward, Jeremiah would have a twofold assurance of the call of God he received as a child: the word of God and the Hand of God. Notice verse 9, “Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth.” The Lord touches Jeremiah, and the word he had heard in his ear is now in his mouth to deliver it to the people God had called him to in authority and power. This is what many preachers lack in this hour; they have the word of God and they can relate facts about it, but it takes the touch of God to deliver the word of God in power and authority.
This was the same unction that the New Testament preachers preached in, [1 Thes 1:5] “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance;” [1Cor 2:4] “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” Without such a touch from the Lord, the words fall flat and powerless, but with the touch of God, it pierces and cuts and convicts the hearts of the hearers and accomplishes what it was sent to do. It is also no coincidence that this calling and commissioning is the first thing that takes place in the ministry of Jeremiah; this should be the first order of business, yet many have spent years coming to the realization that they can't, and then they finally admit their weakness and are afforded the opportunity to operate in the power of God. May that not be our case, may we make this our cry "Ah Lord God, Behold I cannot speak, for I am a child" and be endued with these necessary gifts.
If a man has these two gifts from the Lord, no weakness can hinder his usefulness for the kingdom of God. Paul said in 1 Cor 2:4, “I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.” Yet this weakness did not affect his ability to effectively preach to them because his speech and preaching were not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Jeremiah’s supposed weakness was no longer an issue because he had a word from the Lord and a touch from Him. Whoever you may be, but especially preachers, if you have the word of the Lord and He has touched you with His power to deliver His message to a people, then rest assured you can and you will. Later in chapter 20, Jeremiah decides that he will no longer speak his name or make mention of the Lord, but his word was like a fire shut up in his bones. The Lord had placed His word in Jeremiah and it could not be contained, even when he tried to resist it.
What is your excuse today? Has the Lord called you to some task for His glory? Has your response been “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am (your excuse)_. You are at a necessary intersection today, but you shouldn’t tarry here long. You are incapable and your weakness is debilitating, but the Word of the Lord and His touch and His presence are enough to compensate for all your shortcomings. He delights in using the foolish, debased, despised, and weak things so that no flesh might glory in His presence. Wait on His word and His touch, and then go forth and preach.
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