There is something special about a good book. The writer will draw you into the story; they will paint a picture where you always want to know more and as you progress through the book that drawing becomes stronger and stronger so that the further you get the more you want to read. One more page at 10pm turns into falling asleep after midnight.
Only when you finish the book and you can see how all the different parts of the story went together do you get an appreciation for the skill of the author. When you look at the story, the smallest most insignificant thing early on turns out to have major implications later, but you don’t realise it until you see the whole thing laid out.
I am convinced that when we finally see the whole of history laid out; everything from the first moment through to the last, when we see all the connections, the significance of our own lives will become apparent.
You may wonder what you are doing here, you may wonder about your purpose, you may know it, you may think you know it, you may not know it. However never mistake that there is a purpose. You are here for a reason and although that reason may not be clear, there is one.
Solomon, reputedly the smartest man ever to have lived penned the following words:
I know the heavy burdens that God has laid on us. He has set the right time for everything. He has given us a desire to know the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what he does. (Ecclesiastes 3:10-11)
We have only the scope of our own lives to find meaning. We cannot see how our lives fit into what has gone before or what will come after, but some day we shall.
The Meat
The interesting thing about Jeremiah is he got a glimpse into his own significance that he had no idea about.
The LORD said to me, “I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations.” I answered, “Sovereign LORD, I don’t know how to speak; I am too young.” Jer 1:4-6
The call of Jeremiah is not actually the first call, it is the confirmation of that call. Unbeknown to him God had already looked at Jeremiah and decided he had the correct spread of abilities and skills to be the person to be his prophet at this time.
We know God stands outside time. We know from the Bible he does not age or grow old. He is eternal which means he has always been. That means he can see the whole book of time from beginning to end and knowing that he also knows who is going to be best for a specific role at a specific time. He knew that Jeremiah would be the one.
So even before Jeremiah was born, God had given his life a purpose. Imagine all those days that Jeremiah was growing up thinking why am I here? Wondering if he would ever do anything significant and God had already chosen him to be a prophet.
Actually there is no instance anywhere in scripture of God telling someone their life had no purpose. Time and again he finds people who seem to be living insignificant lives and brings home to them the true significance.
Remember in the New Testament the lady who broke a jar of ointment over Jesus feet? Everyone else said she should have sold it and used the money but Jesus said that wherever people spoke about him, she would be remembered. Her act had significance way beyond the act itself.
It is a basic belief of Christianity that everyone is precious in the sight of God. Indeed the evidence from Jesus own ministry is that people society wrote off were of the most importance. He was castigated for being around the despised, the broken, the outcast and the marginalised. Yet every time he left these people their lives had a renewed purpose.
He brought home to them that God has a purpose for them. No one is useless in God’s eyes.
*** Break ***
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service. The Spirit’s presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all.
(1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
Here is the thing. If you want to find your purpose in life, look at the range of abilities and skills God has given you and ask yourself what can you do with them?
If everything fits together in the great tapestry God is weaving then you and only you can be in the place you are. He has given you, your abilities and skills because he wants you to do something with them.
While he confirmed Jeremiahs call, he also confirmed that calling was not going to be easy.
I cannot count the number of times watching a movie where the messenger gets shot for bringing bad news and that’s what really happened.
Try and picture this scene. God turns up to tell Jeremiah he had a mission, he had a purpose. Then he tells him that mission was to bring bad news to the most powerful people in the world. You are going to spend your life telling the Kings and Queens of this land they are going to be destroyed.
No one likes being the bearer of bad news and Jeremiah was going to spend his life doing it.
It’s important to realise the purpose Jeremiah was given, was not to deliver the bad news. That was the method.
The purpose was to act as a moral compass for the rulers that would hopefully draw them back from their ways to worship God.
So whilst it appears God was setting Jeremiah up for a negative life, he actually had a very positive thing to do. It just wasn’t going to be easy.
Fast forward a couple of thousand years to a man called Jesus teaching his disciples and he tells them to be salt and light. He instructs his followers to be the same moral compass for others as Jeremiah was.
I’ve told you before that when I turned 16 my granny gave me £100. What I never told you was that she gave me a red £100 note. It was beautiful to behold. I so wanted to go into a shop and hand it over whilst asking for a penny chew.
When I did spend it, 3 things happened. First of all the shop attendant used one of those special marker pens on it. Secondly they called over their supervisor to see whether they would accept it and thirdly they held it up to the light to see if it was real.
Jeremiah and Jesus followers were to be the light. They were to live such lives that when they went to the rulers and told them, they were not living properly. It was their lives that were the plumb line against which to measure.
In working out his purpose, his life was going to be part of it. In using his gifts, his life, that purpose would be made clear to all who saw him and through seeing him, their lives would show their shortcomings.
It is quite a scary thought that as Christians so often our lives do not show great distinctiveness.
Let me ask you this. Do you know why you are here? From the way you live your life, from the day to day routine, the priorities you have, could someone else discern your Christianity?
“In Charles Colson’s book, Loving God, he tells the story of an incredible ninety-one-year-old woman, known affectionately as Grandma Howell…
As she moved into the twilight of her life, she had more than one reason to let depression take over–to just give up and die. Her youngest son had died. Her oldest son was in declining health. Many of her friends were dying and she had begin to believe that she had nothing left to live for. One day she prayed with all of her heart and told the Lord that if He didn’t have anything more for her to do, she was ready to die. According to Grandma Howell, God spoke three words: Write to prisoners.
After arguing with the Lord about her lack of education and her age, Myrtle wrote her first letter:
Dear Inmate,
I am a grandmother who loves and cares for you who is in a place you had not plans to be.
My love and sympathy goes out to you. I am willing to be a friend to you in correspondence. If you’d like to hear from me, write me. I will answer every letter you write.
A Christian Friend,
Grandmother Howell
When the letter was sent to the Atlanta Penitentiary, the prison chaplain sent Myrtle the names of eight prison inmates. That was the beginning of an unbelievable ministry of encouragement. Over the next months, this elderly woman carried on an extensive written ministry with hundreds of incarcerated men and women— and all of it was done from her little room in a high-rise home for the aged in Columbus, Georgia.
According to Colson, writing to the prisoners was only half of Myrtle’s joy. They wrote back! And their letters were warm, rich epistles of gratitude. One inmate who signed her name ‘Grandmother Janice’ wrote:
Dear Grandmother,
I received your letter and it made me sad when you wrote that you think you may not be alive much longer. I thought I would wait and come to see you and then tell you all you have meant to me. But now I’ve changed my mind.
I’m going to tell you now.
You’ve given me all the love and concern and care that I’ve missed for years and my whole outlook on life has changed. You’ve made me realize that life is worth living and that it’s not all bad. You claim it’s all God’s doing, but I think you deserve the credit.
I didn’t think I was capable of feeling love for anyone again, but I know I love you as my very own precious grandmother.”
Conclusion
God here confirms the call and significance of Jeremiah. Through the exercising of his skills and abilities that call will be worked out. Even though it is not easy.
Irrespective of your age or your education or you good looks or your money…. Your life has significance for God. If you want to know why you are here use these skills and gifts because it is in using them you will find your purpose.
Amen.
