Then, Now, And Always

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."  This is how God introduced Himself to the prophet Jeremiah, as He called him to his prophetic ministry. It was very sinful and confused time in the history of Israel, his beloved nation.  Jeremiah faced very difficult circumstances for most if not all of his time as prophet. Yet this dramatic encounter with God, and the very nature of God's foreknowledge of the prophet was to serve as the basis for Jeremiah's faithfulness. He was confident enough to obey God in the most dire of situations because he was convinced by this initial encounter that God knew all things.  God knew the condition of his mission field, the condition of the nation, as well as the individual hearts of the people. 
The entire nation was so given over to idolatry, that the values, priorities, political scene, all cultural standards were reflecting the error of that sin.   Confusion and loss of national identity was the result.  Israel wanted falsehood not truth. They preferred gods of their own inventions rather than the true God, and falsehood naturally was reflected in their leaders, their policies and in the everyday business of life. Now that Gods call had come to Jeremiah, He assures the prophet that He will be with him in all circumstances.  He  assures Jeremiah that He knew him consecrating him to this task before he was even born.  This speaks of the character of God in a way that will help us stand for truth in our confused times.  
One of the titles of our Lord Jesus Christ is the "Alpha and Omega," meaning the beginning and the end. It reminds us that in our own confused times, there is one who is with us and who knows all about us including the circumstances to which He has called us.  Our days are very similar to the days in which Jeremiah lived and served. We also seem to want falsehood over truth, little gods of our own making rather than the infinite God revealed in Scripture. This has resulted in a loss of human dignity because of the devastation sin brings and its willful practice by so many. We endorse sin, we "legalize" it as if by being allowable by a civil court makes it acceptable and nullifies the  harmful consequences to people and to our nation as a whole.  It is into this type of culture we are called to speak the truth of the Gospel.  What will be our confidence and our determination to stay strong like Jeremiah stayed strong? It is the same all knowing and faithful God Who has known us and knows the days in which we live. He knew us also before we were formed, he set us apart for this time this place,  this unique calling and opportunity.  We could have been born two hundred or a hundred years ago, but we weren't. We were born for today. We could have been born in a country far away, but we weren't.  We are here, now, for this time and these people. To fulfill our calling we can take much encouragement to realize that our Lord Jesus knew, knows, and can see all about us and the times to which He has called us. His knowledge comes from His excellent person and character.  We are reminded that His nature will triumph over anything that a foolish and misguided culture can do to itself, or the discouraging thoughts that we as faithful servants may do to ourselves.   He knows us then, now and always.