“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
(Jeremiah 1:5, NIV)
These were the very words Jeremiah heard God say to him. Can we even imagine? And these are the very words each of us, as we listen attentively, will hear the Father say to us, “I knew you. I have set you apart. I have appointed a task, a position just for you.”
But what does this mean?
He formed each one of us.
The word formed is used to create the image of a potter and clay. He fashions it, creates it with a particular and specific purpose in mind. Since He has a specific purpose in mind for each one of us, He creates us with specific talents to fulfill those very purposes. He forms us and equips us. This is why each of us is living in the time frame and in the very place we find ourselves.
We are …
living in the town,
working in the job,
married to the person,
attending the church,
raising those children,
participating in a particular ministry,
in that small group,
not by accident but by His design. You are the only one who can do what you do. You are the only you this world has got.
He has set us apart.
God has, in essence, reserved each of us for this time for His purposes. None of us are an accident. He has decided that our life is to be used for Him. That makes each of us unique by design. He has decided with our shortcomings and all, our life will be treated as extraordinary. The forming and setting apart both occur for specific tasks which He ordained for us to do.
He has appointed us.
He has placed us to achieve something specifically in and through our lives.
We can think of being formed, set apart and appointed like we would tend for flowers.
Several years ago, I was made the chief caretaker for imported, exotic flowers from Hawaii for a grand opening event. These flowers were beautiful and expensive, and stressed me out. I had to care for them and keep them alive for four days until they could be presented at the event. I had to meet certain criteria to keep them alive – stems trimmed, the right temperature water, warm room temps, no drafts. All so they could achieve the goal of being at the event.
In that very same way, God has “planted” each one of us. Life around us is divinely designed with the right conditions that will grow and use us to our maximum potential for His glory.
Don’t miss it.
Bloom right there.
Your life: formed, set apart, and appointed.
Reflection:
At times, it can be hard to accept the place where we find ourselves.
What do you need to do in order to begin to bloom and thrive?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for stopping by, we love hearing from you. Please feel free to contact us with any prayer requests or questions by commenting below or emailing us at the About Us page.