Excuses, excuses… Aren’t we all so good at making excuses? I’m too young, I’m too old, too busy, too uneducated, too (fill in the blank). On and on we go, giving reasons why we cannot follow the pathway our loving God and Creator carved for us. Obviously Jeremiah was able to speak—he wasn’t mute. Maybe he was being humble. Humility before God is commendable, but it should never be used as an excuse for telling God “I can’t.” Apparently Jeremiah was still a young man when he received this call, young and without the leadership skills he thought a prophet should have. But God was less concerned about Jeremiah’s age and skill set than He was Jeremiah’s willingness to obey.

You might be thinking right now that you lack the skills and ability to do anything of worth for God. Well, stop that! Go back and read verses 4 and 5 again with your name plugged in and remind yourself that one who is formed and known by a loving Creator is given what is needed to fulfill God’s purpose. Besides that, you won’t be sent off on your own. We’ll talk more about that on Thursday.