Excuses Have Expired

Jeremiah 1:6-7

“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”  The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you” (NLT).

As human beings, we are good at making excuses, especially when we fail to do what we are supposed to do or have no inclination to fulfill our obligations. Teenagers always have an excuse for nearly everything. It’s either there wasn’t enough time; someone didn’t remind them; someone didn’t do something; it rained or seemed like it would; the sun was too hot or so it seemed; the glass fell down; I’m not tall enough… name it, it has an excuse.

Ask an average teenager to minister in the church and get a load of excuses: I don’t know how to do it; Other people can do it; It’s not my job; My parents won’t permit me; People will laugh at me; I’ve been too busy lately… just to mention a few.

Jeremiah wasn’t different from the excuse-making club members when God called him to be ‘a prophet to the nations’ (Jeremiah 1:5). A prophet is one who has been chosen and authorized to be God’s spokesperson. The role of a prophet was indeed demanding, unpredictable and had no guaranteed income. Perhaps, this may have been a concern for Jeremiah as with many teenagers today which may lead to such questions as, “Why me, of all people”? “Can I really cope”? “How will I survive”? “What if I fail”? There is a difference between angst, a cry for help and the articulation of excuses.

Jeremiah barely allowed God to finish when he released his excuse, “No, I can’t do it o… I’m too young… I can’t speak in public”. Jeremiah’s response revealed his deep sense of immaturity. He felt inferior, inexperienced and intimidated by the size of the task he was being called to undertake. Well, he is in good company. In Exodus 4:10, Moses wailed, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled” (NLT).

Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, once said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”

For every task that God calls us to undertake, He always gives His promise. He knows that we are human and full of feelings of inadequacy, fears, anxiety and worry. But God does not make His choices blindly. He told Jeremiah, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). God hand-picked Jeremiah and commissioned him for service. Our understanding of how God works should give us the assurance to let go of our own plans and to embrace His plans for us.

When God calls us into His vision, He always makes provision. So as Jeremiah lamented his lack of public speaking skills, this is what God did: “Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth”! Simple as A-B-C… Jeremiah received the gift of prophecy, just like that!!! All we need to accomplish what God has asked us to do is His touch… there is power in God’s touch. His touch makes something ordinary to become extraordinary.

Age is not a barrier to God’s purpose and assignment. Even as Jeremiah saw himself as not matured enough, God cautioned him in vs. 7 and gave him His promise to provide him with security (vs. 8). God doesn’t give us a task and leave us to the elements. No, He takes the walk with us, giving us the strength to face any attack. Our Lord Jesus Christ had the presence of God around Him as He went about His assignment here on earth and He accomplished all that He did with that assurance.

Jeremiah’s assignment was a dangerous one. He would deliver a tragic message of judgment to recalcitrant Israel. He stood the risk of being misunderstood, threatened and even persecuted by people who had no ear for the truth and would rather continue in their idolatry and rebellion against the will of God. But God gave him the assurance to endure: “For see, today I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. You will stand against the whole land—the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah. They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 1:18-19).

On our own, we are completely helpless but with God, there is the strength to prevail, to be victorious, to be successful. What has God called you to do that you’ve riddled with excuses? Maybe it is about time you faced the truth - Get ready to obey… Get ready for action (vs. 17)… Put an end to the excuses! You have nothing to worry about. God will equip you; enable you; accompany you; protect you; and fulfill His purpose in you. Ever heard the phrase, “Go with the flow”? With God, do just that. Excuses just got expired… just like the out-going year!!!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year in advance... see you in 2018 by the special grace of God.