His Encouragement: In the womb I knew you

A cheery and warm welcome, dearest friends, to His Encouragement: Biblical Inspiration for Your Thursday. Every Thursday, a few blogging friends and I will each bring you a Bible verse and a little hope-filled discussion. We pray that these Thursday posts help you end your week strong in God’s love and purpose for you. We also welcome you to join the conversation by commenting with your thoughts. God bless!

Today’s Thursday Encouragement

“Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘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.’” — Jeremiah 1:4-5, ESV

The time for our second child to be born is quickly approaching, and at almost 35 weeks, I must admit that this time I am feeling very ready — physically, mentally, emotionally ready. Every day is a bit of a struggle to juggle the late pregnancy symptoms with daily routines and obligations, and I feel huge, uncomfortable, tired, and sore. (Other mothers out there probably understand!)

But this is also an exciting time. Eager anticipation of a new life, a new unique individual, a new precious child of God, and all of the potential he has. (Or she! But we are having another boy.) I cannot wait to see my little son’s face and hold him in my arms. I am so excited to be able to watch the relationship between our older son and the new baby bud and grow with time.

So with my mind filled with such expectations, I was reminded of the conversation between the Lord and Jeremiah when he was called to become a prophet of Israel. The Lord spoke to Jeremiah and said: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…” It is always a good thing to remind ourselves that we are not an accident. God formed each and every one of us Himself and knew us before we were even born!

That is how precious we are to Him!

But the Lord does not stop there. Oh, no. He continues: “…and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet…” I truly believe that the Lord has special plans for each one of us. Some may refer to it as a special calling, and it is connected with spiritual gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:1-31) But we need to be living our lives inline with His will and His Word if we are to be ready when He calls us or opens up the way to the plan/opportunity.

Just as Jeremiah was appointed by the Lord as His prophet, you and I have a special purpose, a unique calling, that He is waiting for us to embrace. Whether you are called to be a missionary afar or near, a pastor or evangelist or Bible worker, a teacher or greeter or deacon at your local church, a volunteer at the community soup kitchen or food pantry, a light reflecting Christ in your workplace or at the grocery store, or a godly role model for your children, remember that the Lord knows you, has appointed you to His purpose — His ambassador to a dying world! (2 Corinthians 5:20) — and He has given you the gifts that you will need to fulfill it.

So this new year, I challenge us all to spend some extra time in prayer with the Lord, asking for His guidance in showing each of us His purpose for our lives, our calling, and His strength and wisdom to be able to fulfill it.

Now it is your turn! What verse or passage is blessing you today?

Be sure to also visit my fellow bloggers and read their encouragement for your Thursday:

• Trisha of Joy of Reading
• Nicole of The Christian Fiction Girl
• Jessica of A Baker’s Perspective