By David Faust

On the day after my new granddaughter was born earlier this year, I cradled her in my arms with happy tears in my eyes, overwhelmed with gratitude for this precious new life.

A baby makes us think about the future. Assuming my granddaughter lives into the twenty-second century, what kind of world will she and her peers inhabit in the year 2100? What advancements will they see in technology, medicine, and travel? What new challenges and evils will they face?

Looking down at the innocent face of my granddaughter, I asked God to protect her and fill her with wisdom. I prayed that somehow this little girl will shape the future for good—that she will love her Creator, serve him joyfully, and use her unique personality and gifts to make the world more what God wants it to be.

Generations of parents and grandparents have offered similar prayers. If you aren’t already in the habit of talking with God, become a parent or grandparent and you may be surprised how often you call on the Lord for help!

God’s Claim on a Young Person’s Life

In a suburb of Jerusalem called Anathoth, a priest named Hilkiah surely prayed when his son Jeremiah was born. Did he envision a safe, predictable career for his boy? Did Hilkiah understand the magnitude of God’s claim on his son’s life?

Jeremiah himself had some initial reservations about God’s call. He told the Lord, “I do not know how to speak” (Jeremiah 1:6)—a flimsy excuse because if he really didn’t know how to speak, he couldn’t have said, “I don’t know how to speak”! Jeremiah could talk; he simply wasn’t as eloquent as he thought a prophet should be. In time the Lord provided all the talent and training he needed to succeed.

Jeremiah’s other misgiving? “I am too young.” (Scholars estimate Jeremiah may have been in his teens or early twenties when God first called him.) But even before Jeremiah was born, the Lord knew his potential and designed him for a unique purpose (v. 5). Never underestimate what the Lord can accomplish through young people devoted to him.

Rough Life, Lasting Impact

In the years to come Jeremiah’s ministry would be far-reaching and international in scope. He would be “a prophet to the nations” (v. 5) filled with compassion for his people (8:20-22), a burning desire to communicate God’s truth (20:8, 9), and an unbending willingness to persevere. We call Jeremiah “the weeping prophet” for good reason. He preached a message so unpopular that his fellow citizens despised and mistreated him, accused him of treason, and threatened him with slavery and deportation. The Lord told Jeremiah not to marry or have children (16:2), so the weeping prophet had no wife to console him and no baby to cuddle.

Yet his faithful service influenced generations to come. Decades later a prophet named Daniel picked up Jeremiah’s writings. There he read God’s encouraging promises that the Jews would be restored from Babylonian captivity (Jeremiah 29:10, 11; Daniel 9:1-3). Jeremiah’s difficult life and ministry made a lasting difference.

Only the Lord knows what the tiny baby cradled in your arms may achieve. That’s why we must love, lead, and learn from the generations that follow us and pray without ceasing for those God will use to build his kingdom for years to come.

David Faust serves as the Associate Minister at East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Based on International Sunday School Lesson, © 2013, by the Lesson Committee. Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©2011, unless otherwise indicated.

As you apply today’s Scripture study to everyday life, read Engage Your Faith by David Faust and the correlating Evaluation Questions.