A prophet’s call
Day 358, Monday, Aug. 4
Jeremiah Chapters 1 and 2
As Jeremiah tells it in the opening verses of the book, his call story is simple: God calls, he protests, and God reassures him.
His particular protest at his calling is that he is too young and does not know how to speak. Presumably by this he means he lacks eloquence, not that he literally cannot speak.
We often hear the phrase, “God does not call the equipped; he equips the called.”
Such is the case with Jeremiah. God asssures him, “I am with you and will rescue you.”
Whatever our excuse for not responding to God’s call we know that it is no more convincing than Jeremiah’s. If God’s call is on us, we must respond.

-Rev. Mark Fleming

Monday meditation

Job 15:14-26
“What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous? If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt, who drink up evil like water!
“Listen to me and I will explain to you; let me tell you what I have seen, what the wise have declared, hiding nothing received from their ancestors (to whom alone the land was given when no foreigners moved among them): All his days the wicked man suffers torment, the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him. Terrifying sounds fill his ears; when all seems well, marauders attack him. He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness; he is marked for the sword. He wanders about for food like a vulture; he knows the day of darkness is at hand. Distress and anguish fill him with terror; troubles overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack, because he shakes his fist at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty, defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield.

Prayer focus
I don’t feel ready or good enough, God! Let me say “yes” to you anyway.