JEREMIAH'S CALL

In the New Testament Book of Hebrews, chapter 11, we read of the faith of several prophets of God who accomplished feats of victory despite incredible odds. In the Old Testament, we read the whole truth--their bouts of despair, their faithlessness, their lack of humility, their anger, and their fears. They were ordinary human beings who did the impossible because they relied on God.

For example, the Book of Jeremiah details his call to ministry. In Jeremiah 18 we learn that he was an ordinary person whose message differed from what the learned priests had been teaching. Thus, he not only was ignored, but there were numerous plots against his life. He persevered despite all odds and survived every attack on his life. In fact, there are no records of his death.

That we, in the twenty-first century, now revere Jeremiah is an indication that the times have changed, but unfortunately, human nature has not changed. We are still offended when someone challenges our way of being, we still make plots against them, we still assume that only priests and pastors can hear from God, and we still ignore them at our peril. The times have changed but our human nature has not changed, and if Jeremiah were alive today, he would experience the same issues and conflicts. He also would have the same threats made against his life.

​In the larger scheme of things, we always will ignore prophecy if we disbelieve God's existence as a living, breathing being. It is only when we receive his indwelling Holy Spirit that we become privy to his true nature, and begin to experience him as he is. We awaken to his power and to the depths of his unfathomable love.