In Jeremiah 1, God calls the prophet Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations. At first, Jeremiah does not want to do this. He explains that he is only a youth. But, God says, "Do not be afraid of them For I am with you to deliver you," declares the Lord." Jeremiah 1:8 Then the Lord gives Jeremiah the word that he is to say.
Jeremiah is a series of prophets and leaders (Moses and Gideon for example) who respond to the call of God in a reluctant manner much as people today do when they hear God calling them. I think God places these examples here for us to remind us that God uses us despite our reluctance and even despite our weaknesses and legitimate claims of weakness. Jeremiah may very well have been young compared to many of his contemporaries, but with God with him he was more than equal to the task.
After God calls him God shows him a rod from an almond tree. I thought this was an unusually thing to show to the prophet, so I did a little research. The almond tree begins to blossom in January and then bears fruit in March. It is the earliest fruit tree to do so. When most of the other trees are only beginning to show signs of budding this tree is already bearing fruit. This hastening to bear fruit is what God is talking about. In verse 12, God says that he is watching over his word to perform it. The word means that he is looking for an opportunity to do a thing or that he is eager to do a thing. He is ready to do this and won't wait. Just like the almond tree is among the first to blossom and then bear fruit.
I think that the same is true in your life and mine. God is eager to perform a work in your life and mine. He is showing us the almond branch with a blossom on it this January. He stands ready to do a new work in your life and is eager to do it. What activates this in your life and mine is faith. For as it says in Hebrews 11:6 it is impossible to please God without faith. "for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those who seek Him." So, we take God at his word and believe him and stand on his promises and believe that he is going to act on his promises and wait to see what good things he will do for us.
Jeremiah is a series of prophets and leaders (Moses and Gideon for example) who respond to the call of God in a reluctant manner much as people today do when they hear God calling them. I think God places these examples here for us to remind us that God uses us despite our reluctance and even despite our weaknesses and legitimate claims of weakness. Jeremiah may very well have been young compared to many of his contemporaries, but with God with him he was more than equal to the task.
After God calls him God shows him a rod from an almond tree. I thought this was an unusually thing to show to the prophet, so I did a little research. The almond tree begins to blossom in January and then bears fruit in March. It is the earliest fruit tree to do so. When most of the other trees are only beginning to show signs of budding this tree is already bearing fruit. This hastening to bear fruit is what God is talking about. In verse 12, God says that he is watching over his word to perform it. The word means that he is looking for an opportunity to do a thing or that he is eager to do a thing. He is ready to do this and won't wait. Just like the almond tree is among the first to blossom and then bear fruit.
I think that the same is true in your life and mine. God is eager to perform a work in your life and mine. He is showing us the almond branch with a blossom on it this January. He stands ready to do a new work in your life and is eager to do it. What activates this in your life and mine is faith. For as it says in Hebrews 11:6 it is impossible to please God without faith. "for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those who seek Him." So, we take God at his word and believe him and stand on his promises and believe that he is going to act on his promises and wait to see what good things he will do for us.
