His Encouragement #63

Happy Thursday! I am blessed to be a part of a group of bloggers who feel led to share a bit of encouragement each week from the Bible. We recognize our daily need for Christ and we aim to share that with our readers. Plus, when Thursday comes around, we can all use a little encouragement right? I hope that this post blesses you and that you find comfort, strength, and peace in the Lord today ❤

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⁴ The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew^[a] you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

⁷ But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

~Jeremiah 1:1-8

Do you ever feel inadequate? Do you ever doubt your worth before the Lord? Do you ever feel like you can’t be used by God because of some kind of quality missing from your life? In this passage Jeremiah’s reason for feeling inadequate is his age and inexperience, but really it could be any reason.

I don’t know about you, but this speaks deeply to my heart. If you were to talk to me in person you probably wouldn’t know that I tend to have crippling feelings of self-doubt. I hide behind a bubbly personality and a smile, but often just below the surface is an astronomical level of fear. I’m quite positive that it’s at least in-part to the bullying I dealt with as a child. A young heart can only take so much without internalizing the lies that are pounded into them from their peers. I don’t want this to be my focus of the post, but I use it to show that our environment can often shape our feelings of worth and adequacy.

I love the Lord’s response to Jeremiah. He first tells Jeremiah not to doubt himself, and then tells him what he needs to do. He doesn’t just end it there though–He tells Jeremiah to not be afraid and that he won’t be alone. He tells him that He will be will him and that He will rescue him. He’s saying “don’t worry, I got you!” The thing is, there is no one who is perfect when it comes to sin or capability. None of us are capable of God’s work on our own. We need His equipping and help. Even still, we need to continue to lean on Him and trust His guidance every step of the way. Our confidence needs to be in the Lord and not in ourselves.

If you find yourself doubting yourself today, I want to encourage you to look up and draw near to God. Let Him be your strength and your rescue. Don’t allow fear to paralyze you from doing the work of the Lord. He will equip you and be your help and peace.

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Now, it’s your turn!

What Biblical verse is encouraging you today?

And, check out more Thursday Encouragement from my fellow blogger friends:

Nicole @ Christian Fiction Girl

Trisha @ Joy of Reading

Jacquelyn @ A Heavenly Home

Jessica @ A Baker’s Perspective

Gina @ Stories By Gina

Rebecca @Rev. Rebecca Writes

If you would like to join us: please contact Trisha or Nicole