He Can Use Anything: Drake Lewis
Then 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.”
Then said I:
“Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
But the Lord said to me:
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Do not be afraid of their faces,
For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me:
“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To root out and to pull down,
To destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:4-10 (NKJV))
To be honest, I don’t remember the exact time that I found these verses, but I remember how much of an impact they had. I want to say it was during our mission trip to Chile. We were practicing lectio divina at El Oasis, the ministry we were working with, and I came across this section. Since before that mission trip started, I had been questioning how useful I would be. I prayed and wrestled with the calling that God had placed on my life to go on that mission. That didn’t start to change until we got settled in Chile, and I had the chance to start diving into the Word.
Looking into Jeremiah 1:4-5, the Lord calls Jeremiah to be the next prophet. Honestly, this can also be a faithful reminder of how God sees us. Before we were even conceived, God knew us. We are fearfully and wonderfully created in his image. He sculpted each person on this earth. He knows the words we speak before we even say them (Psalm 139:2,4,14). He loves us so much that he gave his one and only son, the one without sin, to free us from sin and death. God knows everything about us because he is the one that shaped us and made a way for us to be free. It sounds very comforting reading this. The one who shapes our path is the one who knows us best.
In verse 6, Jeremiah wrestles with a problem. “Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” When I first read this, I wondered just how young Jeremiah was at this moment. I expected him to be older, but most historians believe that he was anywhere from 16-20 years old. In perspective, a college student was being called to be the next prophet. And if you look at the ESV translation, it brings a clearer definition of why he was worried about his age. “Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.’” He was worried about his youth because he feared not knowing what to say. I spent a while going through a similar situation. Before mission, I knew that I was being called to go, but wrestled with the idea of leaving home. I was fearful of my speech, shyness, and ability to connect with others. I also saw it in my attempts at evangelism. Any time I feel led to talk to someone, I always second guess myself, asking, “Am I ready for this? What would I say? Am I going to look weird?” It’s usually these questions that draw me away from that person, because they direct my focus on my own ability rather than God’s ability to work through me. But we can see what God does with this in the next verses.
In verses 7-9, God doesn’t let Jeremiah’s worry settle any longer. He answers in a similar way to how he answered Moses. He tells Jeremiah to not even say, “I am a youth,” because to God it doesn’t matter. He can use anything for the good of his kingdom. Any person with any background will do. All he needs is someone willing. He dives further into these insecurities and tells Jeremiah that he will be guided in direction and tongue. He will go to whomever the Lord calls him to go. He tells Jeremiah not to worry about what he is going to say, because it is God’s Word that he is speaking. And finally, God will be with him in the face of adversity. That no matter what people he may face or worry about, that God will be with him that whole time. We can apply this to our own lives. I am learning how important it is to remember that God is with us in those moments of fear. Because when we take our focus off the problems that we see, we can focus on how God is above the problems.
In verse 10, we can see a call to action for Jeremiah. It was one that promised hope and life after the destruction and uprooting of the nations. But we are no longer citizens of any nation on this Earth. We are declared citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven (Phil. 3:20). We are called to go and spread the Word and make disciples in all the nations (Matthew 28:19-20). That includes the people around us. We are called to uproot, and to plant the Word that God has given us in others. We carry the definition of faith, hope, and love. The Word that has been planted in us is meant to spread to those around us. Anyone can do this, but God wants all of us to commit to it. Despite our weakness and despite our insecurities, God wants to guide us in the plan he has for us.
Drake Lewis (middle left) is a sophomore from Lucky, LA majoring in Chemical Engineering. He enjoys tinkering with old cars and participating in sporting clays competitions. Since he entered our building last fall quarter, it has been such a joy to get to know him and to see him become more and more connected to the ACF community. He is also a member of this year’s Discipleship Team. We are excited to see the ways God will continue to move in his life!