Jeremiah and the potter
Jeremiah 1:4-10
God called Jeremiah when he was very young and told him that he knew him before he was born. Later God sent him to watch a potter remaking a pot, and told him that his people were like clay in his hands. Jeremiah 1:4-10
The story, in plain words
One day, God spoke to Jeremiah. He told Jeremiah that he knew him before he formed him in his mother’s womb. Jeremiah 1:4-5
Before he was born, God had already set him apart for himself. God had chosen him as a prophet, someone who speaks in God’s name, to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5
Jeremiah answered that he hardly knew how to speak, because he was still very young. Jeremiah 1:6
God told him not to say he was too young. Jeremiah would do everything God gave him to do, and say whatever God told him to say. Jeremiah 1:7 God…
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See the mapWhat the Bible says
Jeremiah 1:4-10
4And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 5Before I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and made thee a prophet unto the nations. 6And I said: Ah, ah, ah, Lord God: behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child. 7And the Lord said to me: Say not: I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee: and whatsoever I shall command thee, thou shalt speak. 8Be not afraid at their presence: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. 9And the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth: and the Lord said to me: Behold I have given my words in thy mouth: 10Lo, I have set thee this day over the nations, and over the kingdoms, to root up, and pull down, and to waste, and to destroy, and to build, and to plant.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
To talk about together
- God knew Jeremiah before he was born. What does that tell you about how God knows you?
- The potter did not throw the clay away: he made another pot with it. What part of your life would you like to put in God’s hands so he can remake it?
- For the child: If you were clay in God’s hands, what would you like him to make of you?