Friday, August 15, 2025  

Today's Scripture
Jeremiah 1:4–10

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.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” (NRSV) 

Reflection

“Find out what a person fears most, and that is where [s]he will develop next” (Carl Jung, preeminent Swiss psychotherapist, 1875–1961).

Barbara Streisand. Sir Laurence Olivier. Beyonce. What do these entertainment icons share in common? Debilitating stage fright. Whether through medication, hypnosis, or other interventions, these performers utilized extensive measures to minimize the impact of intense performance anxieties despite their prodigious talents. Beyonce even went so far as to create an alter ego, “Sasha Fierce,” under which she performed and recorded an album en route to embracing her creative genius as herself.

It’s not just celebrities who grapple with confounding anxieties. We “normal” folk constantly bump up against our own limitations that require us to decide how to respond. We may react by choosing radical methods of avoidance to dodge our discomfort, which can manifest as addictions, phobias, or impulsivity. We may suppress our emotions or hide behind personas so as to reduce the risk of being confronted by our weaknesses.

“Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a little boy...”

Our anxieties are strong, but God is stronger! This window into the prophet Jeremiah’s call illustrates the truth offered centuries later in the letter to the Ephesians that God’s power “at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine” (3:20). Make no mistake; only through the power and presence of God was Jeremiah equipped to speak truth to power, it was not by force of will or self-determination but through divine calling and acceptance that Jeremiah moved beyond fear to fortitude.

Prayer

Holy God, whose knowledge of our essence called us into being, we dare to ask that you would continue to lead us into becoming who we are truly meant to be, so that we may live fully to your glory, without fear. Amen.

Written by Nancy Benson-Nicol, Associate Pastor

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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