When the Weak Made Strong

Jeremiah 1:4-10 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
   before you were born I set you apart;
   I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” 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. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

At the time of Jeremiah's calling, Jeremiah was a mere young lad in Judah. But God had a purpose for him: a purpose that was carefully planned and tailor-made for Jeremiah. God made each and everyone of us with a purpose in His mind, a part to play in His plan and His story. In Jeremiah's case, God began grooming him to be a prophet to not just Judah, but to the nations around her. His life was bound to be different.

To young Jeremiah, the task given to him was certainly overwhelming. With great concern for his lack of tact and eloquence, he was about to run away. Certainly in humility, Jeremiah understood his place and position and dare not venture beyond his power. He was well aware of his weaknesses. But when God calls us to ministry, youth and weaknesses should not be a draw back to us. When God appoints us to be His servant, He is not an Egyptian slaver who demands that we make bricks without straw. Not only that He supplies us with sufficiency, He promises to be with us every step of the way. 

When God is on our side, weaknesses and insufficiency is non-issue. As we humbly obey His call, He will strengthen us with the courage to speak the truth; He will rescue us; and He will grant us power and authority to accomplish all that He desires: "to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant".

Li Xin Baptist Church

As I take a look at Li Xin Baptist Church, I agree with Pastor: there is a lack of generation continuity. The elders and leaders of the church had been in leadership for a very long time. Young leaders are afraid to step up so long as the elder leaders are present. And there is a great gap between the generations where they find it difficult to related with one another. Young leaders are not getting enough support, guidance and a role model to take up leadership roles.

But Jeremiah 1 is a great reminder that our youth will not be a hindrance for the LORD to accomplish His will. When He calls us to ministries in church, He will groom us, guide us, teach us and empower us all that we need to do His will. To do that, God invites us to be courageous, obedient and teachable. With the current health condition of our church Deacon and Pastor's imminent departure (to another church. He's not gonna die anytime soon, trust me. Haha!), while things may seem gloomy for the church, I see a purpose in all that happen in LXBC. The absence of older leaders demands younger leaders to rise up and fill in the gap. It gives the church member more space and reason to move out of our complacency and comfort zone.

Sok Yeng

It's pretty amazing though, because when God decides to use someone young and weak, He can do amazing things. When Sok Yeng, a junior of mine in Christian Fellowship, came into university, she just accepted Jesus to be her Lord and Savior. I could still remember how she shared about how she was frightened and panicked when she first did Bible Study with the seniors so much so she cried in the Bible Study. She remarked that her lack of Bible Knowledge frightened her, besides the culture-shock she received. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit gave her a Spirit of Courage and a great desire to know this God she has decided to follow. 2 years down the road, not only that she accepted a role in the CF Committee despite being less than a year old in the faith, by her second year of her service, she even began teaching the Word of God to fellow members of her Cell Group.

She has always been a testimony that God does not look for qualifications but obedience. Even though Sok Yeng was young and lacking, God saw beyond all her weaknesses and saw her obedience. And the LORD proceed to make her great in His kingdom. In her obedience, God is glorified.

1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

Isaiah 40:28-31 Do you not know?
   Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
   and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
   and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.

God's Character, My Encounter.