What Do You See?

They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you.    I, the Lord, have spoken!” Jeremiah 1:19

Well, Jeremiah was known by God before he was formed in his mother’s womb and set apart. When you read this how does it make you feel? As soon as he heard this, fear overcame him. He was already thinking of how he will be faced with rejection and might fail!  His immediate response was “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young.” If that was you, what would have been your response? 

Creator God already knew this and was ready to reassure Jeremiah, and said, “I will be with you and protect you”. God was all set and immediately asked him, “What do you see? Jeremiah answered “I see a branch from an almond tree”.  There have been times in my life when God has asked me to do something and I have felt so inadequate forgetting that, He is the one in charge not me!  How about you? Somehow that insecurity sets in and it’s only through His reassurance that I gain the confidence to take on the task.

When Jeremiah responded, “I see a branch from an almond tree, he was in tune with the Lord. In Hebrew, almond means (to watch). God replied “That’s right, and It means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans.”  What an assurance and relief when we know that it is all about Him and not us!  He had gotten to a place where he was in tune with the Lord and he was listening and had recognized his role.

As Jeremiah focused on the Lord and was paying attention, he continued to hear and see what God was saying. God reaches to us with a gentle invitation.  Jesus loves the word “come” in Matthew 19:14 he says, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden…”  In those moments when we are doubtful and worried we can trust Him with our fears and struggles, and our own efforts to handle our insecurities. He is the only one who can set us free. He is Jehovah Nissi who fights for us.

When we look around us, with no doubt these are some of the enemies we see; discouragement, lack of resources, sickness, marital problems, work issues and the list goes on… God promises to deliver us from issues we face.

Pray: Your response to the Lord personally, meaningfully and genuinely.

Reflect:

What is God asking you to do this week that you fear you might be rejected, struggle to feel good enough to do or that you might be left alone?

What steps could you take to manage the negative emotions that makes you feel inadequate?