“Before I formed thee in the womb, I knew thee; and before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
Dear Ones:
A great many things occurred before we were born. Historically, cultures, nations and empires have come and gone. Countless multitudes have come, and have departed. The earth as grown “old,” as opposed to when it was new. But most certainly, that which has occurred of greatest importance, with regard to all men individually, is this: we were in the mind and heart of God BEFORE we came out of the womb. Most certainly, we have been brought into this world by design, for it is “…He (God) who hath MADE us, and not we ourselves.” (Ps. 100:3) David would write in Psalm 139:14, “…I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully MADE…Your eyes did see my substance, yet being unformed.” (v.16) How do we KNOW that each of us has a purpose, an eternal purpose, born in the heart of God? Paul writes: “He (God the Father) …hath chosen us in Him (Christ) BEFORE the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” (Eph. 1:4) He goes on to say, “…being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His will.” (v.11) Do the words “chosen” and “predestined” mean that some are excluded from the merits of Christ’s death on Calvary, as if He died only for some? No. But it does mean that some will not believe, and embrace the gift that is offered them, for they will not receive the knowledge of the truth of Christ. They will be like the Pharisees and lawyers of Jesus’ day, who “…rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized by Him.” (Luke 7:30) But for those who believe, and embrace Christ, why does the knowledge of what occurred before birth, carry with is so great an importance?
In writing to the believers in Galatia, Paul wrote: “… it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal His Son in me…that I might preach Him (Christ) among the Gentiles.” (Gal. 1:15,16) What do we discover by this declaration? We see that God had formed Paul for a purpose. It is noteworthy, that in spite of the call of God, for many years, Saul of Tarsus (Paul) was just the opposite of being a man of true faith. He was a persecutor of the church, consenting to the death of Stephen. He was a man fighting, and “kicking,” against God. It would not be until Jesus would bring him to a true knowledge of Himself on the road to Damascus, that Paul would become a new creation in Christ, and the “beginning” of God’s blessing upon his life would begin to reveal itself. The God who had formed him in the womb, would according to His purpose, sovereignly direct the circumstances of his Paul’s life. It would be as Paul gained a knowledge of Who Christ was, what Christ did on the cross for him, and what Christ’s dwelling IN Him by the Spirit, would mean, that the great purpose would be fulfilled in him. It will be BY the Spirit that the “gifts and the calling of God” would begin to be made known, understood, and grasped. Paul would become one of the greatest Christians of all time by the grace of God. And it all began BEFORE he was born, brought to fruition by the masterful and gracious hand of God…the same hand that is extended to each of us this day. “Jesus Christ (is) the same, yesterday, today, and for ever.” (Heb. 13:8)
Dear Father, open our eyes to see and understand that You are truly God, the God of creation and redemption. And enable us to see that Christ died for ALL men, for Thou has loved the whole world. Give us that singular, and individual knowledge and conviction with regard to our specific calling, first and foremost to fellowship with You, and then, to love and serve those to whom You have sent us. We thank and praise Thee, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad