Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 1:6–8).
The opening chapters of Jeremiah deal with the call of a very young prophet, and understandably the lad is somewhat in awe of what is happening to him. Perhaps - as we often do - he thinks of the prophets of old wearing long white beards. Maybe he confuses age with wisdom. Could it be that he thinks God only uses certain types of people?
The answer Jeremiah received is a straightforward one: I’ll give you the words to speak, and I will tell you where to speak them.
If you look through the pages of the Bible you discover that god delights to use unlikely people. Moses was a murderer on the run, David was a shepherd boy, Paul was persecuting the faith he would later champion. In fact, when you look at the stronger characters in the Bible such as Solomon we often find that things do not end well
In using people who are weak, God bring himself glory. In using those who are less sure of themselves, God finds those who are more likely to follow his paths. God does not require of us a staunch character and great eloquence. All that he insists is that we keep to his message, and march to his orders.
