Jeremiah 1: You Can Dream Big for God

Introduction

In high school, the preacher was "really terrible" at math. The teacher was so strict that the whole class panicked when the lesson began. One day a new teacher arrived and started his first class with these words: "Before we begin, let's pray." The preacher says something seemed to fall from his eyes. He became very good at math and, that very day, he dreamed big for God: he wanted to bless young people and become a math teacher. His first job? Math teacher. The year he left that school, all of his students passed the math exam of the baccalaureate. "It wasn't me who did it, it was God." Now retired, he still teaches at the university, and he warns: "What we say with our mouths may well happen to us."

For this day devoted to youth at the Église Évangélique Baptiste de Strasbourg, the message draws on Jeremiah 1, the calling of a young boy with neither experience nor confidence. The preacher sums it up this way: "God isn't looking for people with experience or for highly competent people." To serve him, he looks for people ready to dream big for him.

And serving God, he adds, doesn't necessarily mean serving in the church: it also means in your family, at school, at university, at work, everywhere you are.

Outline of the message

1. What "dreaming big for God" means

• Dreaming big for God means nurturing spiritual ambitions and doing everything you can to carry out bold life projects, inspired by faith, in service of others, of your family, of the children God puts on your path, and of the church.
• It means having a bold vision: plans of action, love and sharing that seem impossible to carry out in your own strength.
• For that, you have to count on God's strength and on his grace to overcome obstacles, "because there will be some," and do everything for God's glory.
• It also means committing yourself with self-giving: making an effort, devoting your time and sometimes making sacrifices, for God, for your family, for your neighbors, for the church.
• The preacher mentions a woman from the church who chose to enroll her children in a Christian school far from home: at least 140 km a day, for five years. She even left her civil service job and the security of her employment to raise her children in the way of the Lord.

2. A young man facing a mission beyond him

• When God calls him, Jeremiah doesn't say: "Here I am, I'm ready." He looks at his limits: "Ah, Lord Yahweh! Behold, I don't know how to speak; for I am a child."
• God doesn't answer: "You're right, you're too young." He says: "Don't say, 'I am a child.'" What you see as a limitation can become the opportunity to discover the ability that comes from God.
• The context is anything but easy: around 627 BC, Judah is going through a spiritually and politically unstable period. Jeremiah's ministry will continue until the fall of Jerusalem and the deportation.
• "Are we living in an easy time?" Studies, work, marriage, singleness, raising children: "In short, complicated." You too are living in an unstable time.
• In verse 10, God entrusts to the one who has just said "I am a child" a mission over nations and kingdoms. The contrast is huge, but "when God calls you, he sees you as big, he doesn't see you as small."

3. God starts with an ordinary person, and with his word

• Jeremiah is the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin. He doesn't come from a royal palace or a privileged background: according to the preacher, his family had been set aside from the priestly office.
• "God doesn't need us to come from an extraordinary place to do extraordinary things with us."
• The Hebrew word davar, translated "word," also means "matter" or "affair": in the Hebrew Bible, the word refers to a reality that produces effects.
• The phrase "the word of Yahweh came to him" appears in verses 2 and 4. Before his ministry, Jeremiah receives a divine call, and everything rests on the word. The preacher's advice for those who aren't used to it: read one psalm and one proverb a day.
• In the days of King Josiah, the people are still marked by idolatry, "just like in our society today." God didn't place Jeremiah in a perfect world, and he hasn't placed you in one either. He calls you to be his witness at school, at university, at work, in your family and among your friends.
• People often say: "I'll serve when I'm older, better trained, when I have more biblical knowledge." The preacher answers: it's now. "Do you want to write a book? Start now." Singing for God, looking after children: start now.

4. A calling that lasts through the seasons

• In verse 3, God's word keeps coming to Jeremiah under several kings, Jehoiakim then Zedekiah, "until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive." This is not a one-time spiritual experience, but a life of faithfulness.
• Jeremiah went through political changes, opposition, moments of loneliness and great sacrifices.
• Serving God is not a one-day enthusiasm after a sermon, "one burst of emotion after another." The question is: "Will I be faithful when the emotion has passed?"
• God may use you for a moment, but he wants to shape you so that you last a whole lifetime.
• In verse 4, God takes the initiative. A Christian must learn to listen before wanting to act, and first ask: "Lord, how can I be faithful in my attachment to you, in my relationship with you?"

5. Known, shaped and set apart before your birth

• "Before I formed you in the belly I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations" (verse 5). Jeremiah's calling doesn't begin the day he hears it.
• To form, in Hebrew, means to shape: it's not a rushed job. God took time to form you, even before you existed.
• To know (yada) carries the idea of a privileged relationship. God wants you to have a privileged relationship with him.
• To sanctify (qadash) means to set apart. God didn't want you to remain "just like everybody else," but to be a reference point in your generation. Set apart doesn't mean isolated.
• To appoint (natan) means to give: God entrusts Jeremiah with a mission. The prophet (navi) is not first of all someone who predicts the future, but a spokesperson who speaks on God's behalf. You too are called to share his word at university, at work, at school, in your family.
• Your worth doesn't begin with your grades, your looks or your success. "Your worth depends on what God says about you." Your identity is not "I must become someone important," but "I want to belong to Jesus and live for him."
• The preacher cautions: this verse concerns Jeremiah's prophetic calling, and it shouldn't automatically be turned into a promise that every young person will have the same calling. But the principle remains: God is limited neither by age nor by social status.

6. "Don't say: I am a child"

• In verse 6, God has just said what he wants to do, and Jeremiah talks about what he can't do. That is often our reaction: "I'm not smart enough, I haven't studied enough, I'm too young, I'm too old, I don't know the Bible well enough, I don't have time, others are better than me."
• The Hebrew word naar means a young boy, not a baby. The text doesn't give his exact age; the preacher reports that he is estimated to be between 12 and 18. In a society where age and status mattered a great deal, standing before kings was frightening.
• The solution isn't to pretend you're strong. "Weakness doesn't stop God from working in you." You can be young, still in training, or very busy with your job, and serve God.
• In verse 7, God doesn't argue with the excuse. He doesn't say: "Believe in yourself more" or "you'll be an excellent speaker." He says in essence: don't make your youth an excuse, I'm sending you. "My friend, what's your excuse?"
• Notice the order: you will go wherever I send you, you will say whatever I command you. The servant doesn't invent the message, he receives it and passes it on. You don't need to invent what to say to your friends or your family: simply tell what God has done in your life.
• Even with limits, you can say: "I can't do very much, but I can pray, encourage someone, share the Gospel, help in my congregation, study the Word, be an example of purity, forgive, serve, love. I can live Jesus Christ starting now."

7. God's presence and his word in your mouth

• In verse 8, God doesn't promise the absence of fear, he promises his presence: "Don't be afraid because of them, for I am with you to rescue you." The rest of the story shows that Jeremiah met a great deal of opposition.
• The greatest obstacle is often not a lack of ability but a lack of time and fear: fear of letting go of what we hold dear, fear of what others think, fear of tomorrow, fear of failure.
• "My presence is more important than people's approval": that is what God says to Jeremiah, and to you as well.
• In verse 9, Jeremiah has said "I don't know how to speak," and God touches precisely his mouth: "Behold, I have put my words in your mouth." God doesn't just say "take courage," he gives what is needed. He is the one who places the word.
• Jeremiah was looking at what he lacked: experience, abilities, eloquence, confidence. God tells him: look at me. He doesn't promise him that everything will be easy, he promises him something far more precious: "I am with you."
• "So stop saying: I'm too young, I'm too old, I don't know how, I have no experience, I have no time. Simply say: Lord, here I am."
• To conclude, the preacher invites everyone to take the paper placed on the chairs, to ask God in silence to reveal the dream he has put in their heart, to write it down, to entrust it to God, to pray for it every day and to be ready to take the first step. "If God is with you, you don't need to have all the answers to begin."

Key takeaways

• God isn't looking first for experience or competence: he is looking for people ready to dream big for him by counting on his strength.
• Your youth, your age or your limits are not an excuse: "Don't say: I am a child."
• Your worth depends neither on your results nor on your appearance, but on what God says about you. He knew you before you were born.
• A calling is lived over the long term, beyond emotion, resting on God's word.
• God doesn't promise the absence of fear, he promises his presence, and he gives you what you need to accomplish what he entrusts to you.

Personal application

• What dream for God have you abandoned or put off for a long time? Take the time to write it down and entrust it to God.
• Which excuse do you give most often when God calls you: too young, too old, no time, not enough knowledge?
• What fear keeps you from obeying: what others think, failure, tomorrow, or the fear of letting go of something?
• Where has God placed you to be his light this week: at school, at university, at work, in your family, among your friends?
• What concrete first step can you take right now, even a small one: praying, encouraging someone, telling what God has done in your life?

Verses quoted

• Jeremiah 1:1-10
• Jeremiah 1:5
• Jeremiah 1:6-8
• Jeremiah 1:9-10

Frequently asked questions

What does "dreaming big for God" mean?

For the preacher, dreaming big for God means nurturing spiritual ambitions and having a bold vision of plans of action, love and sharing that seem impossible to carry out in your own strength. It means counting on God's strength and grace, and committing yourself with self-giving: time, effort, sometimes sacrifices.

How does God respond when Jeremiah says he is a child?

God doesn't argue with Jeremiah's excuse and doesn't tell him to believe in himself more. He says: "Don't say, 'I am a child,'" then he sends him, promises him his presence and touches his mouth to put his words there. Jeremiah's weakness doesn't stop God from working.

Does Jeremiah 1:5 mean that every young person has the same calling as Jeremiah?

No. The preacher explains that this verse speaks specifically of Jeremiah's prophetic calling and shouldn't automatically be turned into an identical promise for everyone. The principle, however, remains: God is limited neither by age nor by social status, and your worth depends on what God says about you.