Before I formed thee
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”Jeremiah 1:5
Reflection
Jeremiah was young when God called him. And the first thing God tells him is not a task, it is a revelation about his identity: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." Before any achievement, before having done anything, before existing, he was already known and chosen. Jeremiah's life was not an accident, and the calling was not a last-minute improvisation. There was a plan conceived in love.
Notice the three movements: "I knew thee", "I sanctified thee", "I ordained thee". Knowing, here, goes beyond knowing who someone is; it is personal, intimate knowledge, the kind only the Creator has. To sanctify is to set apart for a purpose: you were set aside, with a specific end. And "ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" speaks of the place he would occupy. God does not ask the young man whether he felt ready (and, in the next verse, Jeremiah will say he was only a child and could not speak). God answers this insecurity with identity: first who you are to me, then what I will ask of you.
This verse challenges what we usually think about ourselves. We often define ourselves by failures, by labels, by how we were treated, by what we do. God defines Himself differently: you are known by Him before you were born, and this does not change with your mistakes. Every person is wanted, planned and known. That does not mean a life without pain, for Jeremiah's was full of hardship. But it does mean that suffering and calling happen within a greater purpose, and that no one is a "leftover" or an "accident" in God's eyes.
If you doubt your worth or your purpose, read this verse aloud, putting in your own name: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee". Let that truth settle. Then ask God: "What did You set me apart for? What is my calling in this season?". Perhaps it is small and simple: caring for a family, working with excellence, being a light in one particular place. A calling does not have to be grand to be sacred. You were known, chosen and sent.
Prayer
Lord, thank You that You knew me before I existed and set me apart for a purpose. Silence in me the voices that say I am an accident or have no worth. Show me what You called me to in this season and give me courage to answer. I am Yours, known and sent. Amen.
Put it into practice
Write on a piece of paper: "God knows me, chose me and sent me". Put it where you can see it every day. Then ask God what your calling is in this season and write down the answer that comes to your heart.
To reflect on
From what label or memory do you need to be freed in order to believe that God knew you and chose you even before you were born?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).