I was struck by the simple, wholehearted obedience illustrated by Jeremiah in chapter 13 of his book. God said to him, “Go and buy a linen belt…put it around your waist…” So he did it. “Take the belt…go to Pareth and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” He did that too. Many days later the Lord said, “Go…get the belt I told you to hide.” He went and dug it up. When he saw it had deteriorated he wondered what God had in mind. God said this is a word picture of what’s going to happen to Judah because of her pride.
As I reflected on what Jeremiah said a thought came to me, “How does one prepare himself to speak for God?” That would be the focus of this portion of scripture.
I identified three points to amplify this focus: 1. Listen to what God says. 2. Don’t question what God says, even if at times it might seem foolish. Why would God want Jeremiah to go and buy a linen belt, hide it in a crevice in the rocks, leave it there until it rots and then go take it out? God knows what He’s doing. He knows how He’s going to use this experience in Jeremiah’s ministry. 3. Obey what God says. Simple, wholehearted obedience is a prerequisite for being an instrument God can use to communicate His truth to others.
Once you establish the focus of a portion of scripture and build an outline to amplify this focus you need to discern some applications you can make to your own life. Try doing this based on the outline I shared.
