Saturday after Septuagesima Sunday
Posted on February 6, 2021 by under
Scripture: Jeremiah 1:4-10 (NKJV)
1:4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 “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.”
6 Then said I:
“Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
7 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.
8 Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
9 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.
10 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.”
Devotion
The life and ministry of the prophet Jeremiah was one which was filled with tribulations. He faced persecution for proclaiming the truth regarding the sins of the people, and false prophets tried to counter him. It fell to him to proclaim the just judgment of the Lord even as the people were led away into the Babylonian Captivity.
When Jeremiah considered that which was his own strength, he knew he was not up to the task. But the Lord taught the prophet that it was not ‘about him.’ “‘Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord.” It is the Lord who works through the Word, and His Word accomplishes that for which He has sent it. Jeremiah was born for his time, even as we are born for our own time. And the will of the Triune God will be accomplished through His Word, condemning sin through the Law, and consoling the saints with the healing balm of the Gospel.
Prayer: O Lord, we beseech Thee favorably to hear the prayers of Thy people: that we, who are justly punished for our offenses, may be mercifully delivered by Thy goodness, for the glory of Thy Name; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
