Right, Right -- But What's The Plan?

Reflection on Jeremiah 1:4-10

by Austin Dannhaus

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.”

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.”

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”

Bits and pieces of Jeremiah are famously used as a reminder that God “has a plan for your life” (Jer. 29:11). Right out of the gate, God tells Jeremiah that He’s known him since the beginning, that He’s set him apart, and that He has appointed him as a prophet.

And it gets better.

Sensing Jeremiah’s fear, God tells him to not be afraid. He reminds Jeremiah that he will rescue him.

Just a couple of verses in, Jeremiah has “knowing” and “protecting.” He’s on God’s radar and can reasonably assume God will keep him safe. Not a bad “in” with the man upstairs.

Then Jeremiah is given a purpose. This is the “calling” - God telling Jeremiah that in addition to being known and protected, he’s also got a project to work on, a purpose in life. Turns out it’s going to be a big one too, one that will result in Jeremiah’s story making the cut into Holy Scripture.

Jeremiah’s response is classic. See, being a prophet wasn’t the easiest job in the world. Being unable to speak, as Jeremiah protests, was the least of his concerns. As we see later in the story, the ascetic life of a prophet was not enviable. It was lonely, and as was the case with Jeremiah, often resulted in people conspiring to kill you.

But what do you expect when your job is to go around telling people they are sinning against God?

Now back to Jeremiah’s response. Jeremiah’s not thrilled. He makes an excuse. He looks for a way out. I can’t do it, he says.

You’d think that when the God of the universe audibly tells you that he’s had his eye on you since the beginning, that he’s going to rescue you if need be, and that you have an important task to do – you’d listen.

Jeremiah didn’t want to. He had a sense of what following God's call might mean. And yet somehow, these opening words and the words found later in the book are meant to be comforting,  even hopeful.

Don’t know what to do after college? God knows the plans he has for you.

Going through a mid-life crisis? God formed you in your mother’s womb.

Not feeling unique or gifted? God set you apart; he’s appointed you for a specific task.

Right, right. But what’s the plan? What have I been formed for? Have I been appointed for something fun, exciting, adventurous, and unique?

One of the themes we see throughout scripture is that God’s calling causes a disturbance. It disrupts life-as-we-know-it. And oftentimes it doesn’t end well. Tradition tells us that Jeremiah was exiled and died a martyr.

So instead of Isaiah’s bold “Here am I, send me!” we, like Jeremiah, look for excuses. Or we pull the slot machine of God’s will until all the numbers line up the way we want them to. Or we just pretend we don’t hear Him at all.

There is something else in Jeremiah’s response that’s interesting: his sense of his own shortcomings. This response seems more unlikely in today’s world where we are constantly trying to prove how capable we are.

As our community explores the idea of calling, we ought to see this and other parts of Jeremiah not as hopeful or reassuring reminders. It’s core to the Christian identity to know that we are known, protected, and called. It’s a given, so to speak.

Instead, we should see Jeremiah as a case study in responding well to God. Jeremiah is a reminder that once we’ve been called, we’re not to be afraid, make excuses, or ignore the call.

Like those who’ve gone before us, we are to “[put] our bodies where our hearts are[1]” - setting aside our focus on fears, shortcomings, and self - and chose a path not of our own making.

Tomorrow's reading: Jonah 1:1-10

[1] "The Embodied Word," Pilgrim Preaching, Keeping company with biblical texts and the people who hear and preach them, a weblog for preaching, by Mary Hinkle, Luther Seminary.