Empowered by conversation with God in prayer

Jeremiah1: 4-10

⁴ The Lord gave me this message:

⁵ “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.”

⁶ “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

⁷ The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. ⁸ And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” ⁹ Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,

“Look, I have put my words in your mouth!
¹⁰ Today I appoint you to stand up
against nations and kingdoms.
Some you must uproot and tear down,
destroy and overthrow.
Others you must build up
and plant.”

One of the really amazing parts of being a follower of Jesus and reading the word of God, is the process of working out what a passage in the Bible is saying. Australian theologian Jacqueline Grey has a great method called “Them, Us and Me,” which goes through the process of asking

1. What did the words in this passage mean for the person or people in the passage and living at that time?
2. What does the passage have to say for us, as believers, for the Church, or for all of humanity today?
3. What does this passage specifically say to me?

As I read this passage from Jeremiah with the lens of prayer and ask these questions, I think what God was saying to Jeremiah is fairly self-evident from the passage, but what is he saying to us as the modern church, and what is he saying to me?

I think that verse 10 is a message for us in the church, to encourage, embolden and empower our prayers. As Jesus said in Matthew 18:18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” This should inform how we pray – to lean into the authority of God the Father in heaven and to take authority over the spiritual domains that are at work around us.

As I pray about what this passage means to me, I am encouraged and affirmed that God tells me that He knew me even before I was fully formed in my mother’s womb. It is such a powerful affirmation that God has a specific purpose and a plan for me and I just need to work out what that is, and stick to His plan to experience the deepest form of flourishing that can possible be achieved.

Thank You, God, that you have empowered Your praying church to take charge over every spiritual stronghold and every authority. Our prayers are powerful and effective! And thank You God that you have given me a path to follow that leads to light and life.

Written by Ps Justin Ware