Now, the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
– Jeremiah 1:4–5
There’s so much we could talk about with this verse, and really, this whole chapter as we hear God speaking to Jeremiah, calling Jeremiah, and there’s obviously unique things that are happening here in Jeremiah’s life and what God is calling Jeremiah to do. At the same time, we know from Psalm 1:39 that for each of our lives, God has formed us in the womb and known us, known us. Ephesians 1 tells us, from before the foundation of the world, all who are in Christ known by God for all of eternity, past. He has always known you as his people. This is mind-boggling.
Jeremiah 1:4–5 teaches that God has known us since the foundation of the world.
I don’t even know how to comprehend this, that before the foundation of the world, before a star was ever placed in the sky or a mountain placed on the land or oceans poured forth, before any of that, before light and darkness, God knew you. Before you were even formed in the womb, he knew you.
And yes, we all have different purposes and callings in this world, like Jeremiah here, but just let this soak in. God not only knows you intimately and loves you indescribably, but he has a purpose for your life, a good purpose for your life, for your good and for others’ good and for his glory. So walk with him today, and every day, be close to God, the one who’s known you from before you were even formed in the womb. Listen to his Word today. Be with him in prayer. Walk with him in prayer all day long. Pray continually. Live in communion with the God who knows you and loves you and has a purpose, a glorious purpose for your life. Oh, let Jeremiah 1:4–5 just drive you to intimacy with God today, an ever-increasing intimacy with God every day of your life.
Jeremiah 1:4–5 encourages us to cultivate a deeper intimacy with our Creator.
Oh, God, we praise you for your love for us. We praise you for forming us, for making us, for knowing us, for loving us, for creating us, for a relationship with you, to be known by you, to be formed by you, and to be given meaning and dignity and purpose by you, our Creator. So God, we pray, help us to live in intimacy with you today and every day. God, I just pray this over my own life. I pray this over every single person who’s listening to this right now, God, that they would grow an ever-deepening intimacy with you.
Oh God, I pray that the next year, they would experience deeper intimacy with you than they’ve ever experienced before. I pray that over their next week, their next month, even as I pray for that in my own life… God help us to listen to you and walk with you and talk with you and glorify you… And fear you and love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength… As we remain in your love for us. We praise you for predestining us, Ephesians 1, to be adopted as your children, to know you. God, we pray that you would help us to live in the fullness of this today.
Prayer for the Sasak People
And God, we know we’re not the only ones. So God, we know you’ve purposed to save people from every nation, tribe, and tongue… That there are people around us today who don’t know you in this way. God help us to lead people today to know you. Help us to be bold and compassionate in sharing the gospel today and in spreading the gospel in the world. God, we pray for the Sasak people of Indonesia, 3.4 million in this Muslim people group. The few followers of Jesus among them.
God, we pray for your grace and your help and your strength over them… Your provision for them and for the spread of the gospel through them. Send other laborers into the harvest field to serve alongside them… That the Sasak people might know and be known by you and the way that we enjoy through Jesus. God may it be so. We pray all of this according to your Word, which we love in Jeremiah 1:4–5. We pray this as your children known by you, in Jesus’ name, who makes all this possible. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
