I am with you

“But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.” - Jeremiah 1v7-8

Jeremiah did not jump at God’s call the first time. I like this about the word of God. It does not lay any pretence that the characters are any kind of super humans with some kind of inbred sanctity. When God called Jeremiah his first response was fear. “What am I going to say God, I am far too young for this task!” He is something like Moses in that he was afraid because he was aware of his own limitations.

God did not respond in anger at Jeremiah’s fears. God instead gave him some blessed words of comfort to take with him.

I will go wherever I send you
I will give you the words to say
Don’t be afraid of them
I will deliver you

Surely Jeremiah realised that he did not have to face his seemingly insurmountable task alone. His job was not going to be easy, in man’s eyes it was not going to even necessarily be successful; but as He went he could bravely go knowing that what was going to happen was not his work, but God’s work.
Oh that we would learn that lesson in our lives. We can go with confidence because God goes with us to do the work He wants to do in each of our lives.