Young People's Group

Discovering Our Destiny

by Mitchell Tan
April 07, 2016

THE EXAMPLE OF JEREMIAH IN FULFILLING HIS CALLING

Recently, Pastor Charles spoke at the post Family Camp meeting about destiny. And I was deeply encouraged by the truths that he taught that afternoon. What is destiny? It is about discovering the calling that God has for us and to fulfil it. This was something that was taught with reference to the ministry of the prophet Jeremiah. He became one of the major prophets during the times of the Old Testament. He wrote the book of Jeremiah which contained 52 chapters of God’s word (Jeremiah 1:1). Jeremiah’s ministry as God’s messenger to the people of Judah spanned the reign of three kings until the captivity of Judah (Jeremiah 1:2-3). He had a prolific ministry as God’s servant. This was his destiny.

THE LORD GOD REVEALS HIS CALLING

“Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.’”
Jeremiah 1:4-5

How does one discover his calling? It is something that God would reveal to that person. The Lord God revealed His destiny for Jeremiah in a definite way. The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah when he was a young person and He had a great calling for him. God spoke of how before Jeremiah was even conceived, He already had him in mind. The Lord, the Creator of Jeremiah, before he was even born, had set him apart for ministry and ordained him to be a prophet to the nations. Even though he was raised a priest, he was now going to be a prophet. He was discovering his real calling for his life.

THE NATURAL REACTION OF A YOUTH

“Then said I:
‘Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.’”
Jeremiah 1:6

Jeremiah’s initial reaction was one of incredulity. He could not believe that he had such a calling from God. His excuse was that he was too young to do such a work. He did not have the ability to speak to the nations and he certainly was lacking in knowledge and experience. He was also fearful about doing such a work. This would be a natural reaction of most youths if such a calling were to be given to them. The problem with this was that Jeremiah was seeing things from the standpoint of self. He only saw himself and his inadequacies. He did not see things from the Lord’s standpoint.

THE LORD’S GREAT ENCOURAGMENT TO FULFILL ONE’S DESTINY

“But the Lord said to me:
‘Do not say, “I am a youth,”
For you shall go to all to whom I send you
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Do not be afraid of their faces,
For I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord.”
Jeremiah 1:7

The Lord God rejected Jeremiah’s excuses for being too young for ministry. He encouraged him to focus on five things; His calling, His word, His promises, His power and His presence. The Lord was challenging him to discover what He can do in his life and ministry rather than what he can do on his own. Before Jeremiah could be sent, he had to be trained first. The challenge was for him to know the Lord God better. He needed to cultivate a greater faith in Him and to relate with Him in a deeper way. There was a need for him to interact with God and to learn deep lessons from Him. It would be years later before he would be strong enough to face all the opposition that he needed to face. Young people, let’s seek to know the Lord in a deeper way. Let’s develop our faith and our relationship with Him. Let’s seek to grow spiritually. One day, God willing, we too can discover and know God’s calling for our life and may we seek His grace to fulfil it.

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