The Humility of True Power
“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”—Genesis 41:16 (NIV)
Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you.—JEREMIAH 1:5 AMP
What an awesome thought! God said that before He formed Jeremiah in his mother’s womb, He knew him. He chose Jeremiah. God separated him from everyone else to perform a specific task, and He consecrated him for that purpose. Wow!
We can be sure that if God did that for Jeremiah, He did it for each one of us. In fact, the apostle Paul said, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:4–6 NASB).
Nothing about us or our circumstances surprises God. He knew about everything before we were born. And He ordained that we should walk in those ways because we are uniquely qualified by Him to do so. He approved us, because He chose us for our specific situation. And He equipped us for every trial and difficulty we will ever face in life. What an awesome God we serve!
Father, the thought that You chose me before the foundation of the world and set me apart for a specific calling is humbling. You are so good. May I go forward with a renewed purpose in life.
“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”—Genesis 41:16 (NIV)
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.—Psalm 19:4–5 (NIV)
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.—John 3:8 (NIV)