Calling Of God

Calling of God

Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. - Jeremiah 1:5

This is the call of God to Jeremiah. Let's take a look at this prophet that the Lord was calling. In verse 1 we are introduced to him as Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. If you go back to 2 chronicles, we will find Jeremiah. According to verse 2 began to prophesy during the reign of Josiah the king of Judah. In looking at the reign of Josiah, we find that he was only eight years old when he began to reign, but he came into the kingdom of Judah at the time of great spiritual poverty. The people had forsaken the Lord and the house of the Lord. They had turned their backs on God. The temple was just a trash heap. People had just started dumping trash in the temple grounds because the temple was not being used for worship. There were many false gods that had been embraced by the people and were being worshiped. The one true Living God had been forsaken.

But Josiah began spiritual Reformation. They began to clean up the temple of God. As they were cleaning up the temple and restoring the temple, Hilkiah the high priest found a copy of the law that he brought to the King. Hilkiah was the Father of Jeremiah. When they read the law, they realized how serious their sins were against God.

Jeremiah came from a strong spiritual background; his father the high priest and his aunt was Huldah the prophetess who was sought when they wanted to hear from the Lord there in Jerusalem. His family was very prominent in the spiritual community in Jerusalem. Jeremiah had heard the law of God in his early life. He had a heart that desired the things of the Lord. Jeremiah was blessed with a spiritual environment in which he was raised in a good way. So the call of God came to Jeremiah in verses 4 & 5.

“The word of the Lord came to me saying, “before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. - Jeremiah 1: 4-5 So before he was ever formed in the womb God said I knew you.

I. God Knows You Before Birth

There’s a common argument in today's society about when life actually begins. Some say that life doesn't begin until the baby is born and takes its first breath and begins to cry. Some declared that life begins at the moment of conception. But here in our scripture verse, it indicates that life even begins before we were conceived. God said to Jeremiah before you were ever conceived, I knew you. David said, in Psalm 139:16 “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed; And in your book they all were written. The days fashioned for me , when as yet there were none of them.”

Pastor Rick Warren says in his book, “The Purpose Driven” - “Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God”. God knew all of the parts of our bodies before they ever existed. God knew what color of hair and He knew what eye color each of us would have. He knew the parts of our body before they existed. God in his foreknowledge also knew each of our lives. Jeremiah's life and ministry began in the mind of God; before Jeremiah was ever born. The same is true of each of us. God knew us before we were ever born. God is omniscient, and God had a plan for each of our lives. In the mind of God, there is a purpose. There is a plan for each of us. “Before you came forth out of your mother's womb; I set you apart and I ordained that you should be a prophet to the nations.” - Jeremiah 1:5

Paul the Apostle writes in Galatians 1:15, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace.” Paul was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles and to the nations. Paul was an Apostle to the Gentiles separated from his mother's womb called by the grace of God that he should bring the glorious news of Jesus Christ unto the nation's. David also said, “Oh Lord , you have searched me and known me. I will praise you for I am fearfully, and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works.” - Psalm 139:14.

We bring our babies to be dedicated to the Lord, in recognition that God has a plan and a purpose for each life here on earth. Parents are offering that child to the Lord and saying to the Lord, ‘you have given us this wonderful gift and we know that your will and your ways are best; and so we dedicate this child to you so that they might serve you.’ God has a plan, a purpose, before you were ever born. Each of us, as we get older, can look back and see how God has separated us and prepared us for the work He has for us.