The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Availability" Tuesday, 4 March 2014 - Read Jeremiah 1:4-10

The Upper Room Daily Devotional  "Availability" Tuesday, 4 March 2014 - Read Jeremiah 1:4 Now Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.
    Before you were born, I sanctified you.
    I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord[a] Yahweh! Behold,[b] I don’t know how to speak; for I am a child.”
7 But Yahweh said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am a child;’ for you must go to whomever I send you, and you must say whatever I command you. 8 Don’t be afraid because of them, for I am with you to rescue you,” says Yahweh.
9 Then Yahweh stretched out his hand, and touched my mouth. Then Yahweh said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 Behold, I have today set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Footnotes:
a. Jeremiah 1:6 The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.”
b. Jeremiah 1:6 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you.”--Jeremiah 1:7 (NRSV)
A good friend told me about a time when he was asked to sing at a church service. As he looked out over the congregation, he started to feel inferior when he saw so many other people who had previously sung in worship. However, after the service, a wonderful woman complimented him on his singing, saying it was “one of the best testimonies” she had ever heard. He related to her his feelings of inadequacy as he compared himself to the other vocalists. She responded that God is not as much concerned with our ability as with our availability. God is pleased when we are willing to use what we have to serve regardless of how unskilled we think we are. I am in a wheelchair due to a disability. This was a good story for me as I struggle with these same feelings and compare myself with others constantly. But my disability does not affect my ability to serve God. God knows our limitations and desires only that we are prepared and willing to go where God leads and to do God’s will.
The Author: Sandra Vaughan (Pennsylvania, USA)
Thought for the Day: God is more interested in my availability than my abilities.
Prayer: Dear Giver of all gifts, help us to use our gifts and talents for you and to be available always to do your will. Amen.
Prayer focus: Those struggling with insecurities
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