Jeremiah is a very interesting book in which we can see God dealing with his people in a very direct and familiar way. When God approached Jeremiah with his calling he knew that this potential prophet had a very limited image of himself, actually Jeremiah said: “I am only a boy” (1:6) but according to God he was more than a boy, he already was his prophet and God actually told him: “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”
If you read carefully, God is telling him everything in past tense “I knew you, I consecrated you, and I appointed you” but Jeremiah was unable to hear that because he was measuring everything according to his present reality. And in his present reality he was “only a boy” how many of us cannot hear what God has to tell us because we only can see our present reality?
The truth is that God told him “Do not say, I am only a boy” in others words, it doesn’t matter how do you feel or what do you think about yourself, what really matter is what I already prepared for you and the fact that I will be with you in everything that I am calling you to do.
Jeremiah was called to be a faithful prophet among a very unfaithful people. God made sure that he can picture himself as someone who certainly was sent from God to call his people to repentance. His mission was filled with opposition but God promised him that nobody would be able to stop him, because he will deliver and bless him. (1:19)
Chapter 2-3 are the continuing insistence of God through Jeremiah to call his people back to his covenant. The people of Judah were away from God and had developed a sense of inability to come back to the Lord. It seems that on certain moments they wanted to come back, but in some way they felt a compulsive attraction to stay in their sin.
God was so tender with them and actually told them: “Return, O faithless children, I will heal your faithlessness” (3:22) in others words if you don’t feel able or your sin is o overwhelming; I also can heal you and help you to come back.
Are you or somebody that you know feeling incapable to come to God and be restored? The Good news of the prophet Jeremiah is that with God’s help is always possible to come back