Known in the Womb
““Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.””
THE CALL THAT OPENS THE BOOK
This is the opening call verse in Jeremiah, and God doesn't start by talking about the mission; he starts by saying when the knowing and the purpose began: before birth.
KNOWN BEFORE BEING FORMED
'Before I formed you I knew you' reverses the order we'd expect; God's knowledge didn't come after Jeremiah existed, it came before it.
CONSECRATED BEFORE BIRTH
Consecration here isn't a reaction to something done well; it's a prior act of God, setting Jeremiah apart for a purpose he didn't even know existed yet.
PROPHET TO THE NATIONS
The call has a reach beyond what's expected, not just for Judah but to the nations, a purpose larger than Jeremiah likely imagined for himself.
YOUR PURPOSE IS ANCIENT TOO
If God knew Jeremiah before forming him, the same principle extends to you; your purpose isn't a recent idea, it's something he already knew before you existed.
THANK GOD FOR YOUR ANCIENT PURPOSE
Act: Pray today thanking God for having a purpose for you even before your birth, and ask him to show you one concrete step of that calling for this week.