By Andrew Williams
Series: The Year of the Prophet- Month 2: The Sovereignty of the Call.
Week 6: Predestination & Selection (The “Known” Prophet)
Anchor Scripture: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” — Jeremiah 1:5 (NKJV)
Before you spoke a word, God spoke a word over you. This week explores the origins of the call.
The Teaching
One of the most staggering realities of the prophetic office is its timeline. To most of the world, a “career” or a “calling” is something you find as you mature, but for the Prophet, the calling found you before you had a name. God’s word to Jeremiah destroys the idea that the prophetic office is a reward for good behavior or a title one achieves through study.
The Hebrew word for “knew” in this passage is Yada, which implies an intimate, experiential knowledge. God is saying that He didn’t just know about the prophet; He was intimately acquainted with the spirit of the prophet before the physical body was even a thought in the parents’ minds.
The Prophet is a “pre-determined” person. You were sanctified (set apart) and ordained (given an official appointment) in the spirit realm before you ever drew your first breath on earth. This means your life is not an accident, and your prophetic perspective is not a personality flaw. You were specifically engineered by the Creator to carry a voice. Your “Yes” to God today is not you choosing Him; it is you finally agreeing with a choice He made about you in eternity past.
Prophetic Insight
Many prophets grow up feeling like outcasts, or as if they don’t quite “fit” into the standard molds of society or even the Church. If this has been your experience, realize that this was the “sanctification” of the womb at work. God “set you apart” early so that you wouldn’t become too blended with the world you are called to correct. You weren’t “weird”; you were specialized. Your history is not a series of random events; it is a sovereignly supervised preparation for the mantle you were born to wear.
The Activation
Spend time today looking back at your childhood and early years. Can you see moments where you “saw” things others didn’t, or where you felt a “weight” for justice or truth even as a child? Write down three of these instances. Recognize them not as mere memories, but as the early “marking” of God upon His pre-ordained messenger.
Daily Prayer: Sovereign Lord, I am overwhelmed by the truth that You knew me before I was formed. I thank You that my calling is not based on my performance, but on Your eternal purpose. I accept that I have been set apart from the womb. Forgive me for trying to be ‘normal’ when You created me to be ‘prophetic.’ I align my ‘Yes’ with Your ‘Ordination’ today. I am Yours, from eternity to eternity. Amen.
