“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the
salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.” (Lamentations 3:25-27)

“Am I too young to follow God’s plan for my life?” At just 18-years old, standing on the edge of the Pacific Ocean while waiting to be baptized,
this was the question I asked myself on September 2, 2001. I had just graduated from high school, and was preparing to go into university. “Am I ready?” I thought. There was so much I hadn’t experienced, and so much time left to experience it. Would I regret becoming a true
disciple of Jesus while still in the prime of life? These are the same questions that the prophet Jeremiah considered. In fact, he had already made up his mind. His answer to God’s calling was simply, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” (Jeremiah 1:6)

In this short statement, there is so much to dissect; all of which gives us insight into the heart of Jeremiah. First, he says, “Alas…” This can be
defined simply as an expression of sorrow, grief, pity, or concern. Imagine that you had avoided paying your taxes for years, and then a Canada Revenue Agency agent showed up at your front door. Perhaps you would greet them the same way Jeremiah greeted the Lord, “Alas…” In other words, Jeremiah wasn’t excited to hear from our Heavenly Father. He had probably hoped that the Lord would come to him much later in life, or possibly not at all. Surprise, surprise, though, God determines the times and the places. (Acts 26:27-28) And God determined that that was the time and that was the place.

Ironically, Jeremiah follows up that first word with the greeting, “Sovereign Lord.” To address God as sovereign means that you understand that He is supreme above all things; and that everything that happens, He has either made happen or allowed to happen. So to say that God is sovereign while also feeling like God has made a mistake is just as much of an oxymoron as saying “jumbo shrimp.” It doesn’t make any sense! It didn’t then for Jeremiah, and it doesn’t make sense for us today. If He is truly sovereign, His timing is perfect! And if God is
calling you to follow Him now, now is the best time!

Jeremiah’s next statement is one of false humility. He claims ignorance as his alibi. “I don’t know how…” he said. For many in modern times, this is their same excuse. “I don’t know what the Bible says. So how can I be accountable for it?” Or, “I don’t know follow God. So how could I be expected to do it?” While this type of thinking may be acceptable in some circumstances, there are many where it just doesn’t fly. For example, picture an abusive father explaining himself away by saying, “Well, nobody ever showed me how to be a good parent…” Ignorance is never an excuse.

Lastly, our beloved prophet states, “I am too young.” It is curious to think at which age Jeremiah would have felt that this was not true. Twenty-five? Thirty? Thirty-five? Forty? How young is too young, and how old is too old? The truth is that when we are apprehensive to follow God, there is always “too” something: too hard, too busy, too complicated, too much, etc… Interestingly, it is Jeremiah, the writer of Lamentations, that later says, “It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.” Jeremiah was a young prophet! Make no mistake, though, he wasn’t too young! And as long as you can read and understand this today, neither are you!

Excitingly in the last three weeks, we have seen four “young” men and women answer the calling of God. Hussain, who is 22-years old; Demi,
who is 18-years old; Favour, who is 17-years old; and Marco, who is just 13-years old. I believe it is necessary for young prophets, for young
preachers, to raise up and preach the Word of God in our generation! Yes, old men must dream dreams; but we must never underestimate the power of a young prophet who sees a vision from God! (Acts 2:17)

Why should you sacrifice your youth for the Lord? First off, because it’s the best part of your life. Should God get your left-overs instead? We are physically stronger in our youth, we are unencumbered by the burdens of life that eat up our precious time and resources, and we are the most energetic we will ever be. What a shame to waste that on the world, squandering our very best for things that wont last. To give God your prime is to give God your best; and when you give God your best, you will surely be blessed. (Matthew 19:29)

Secondly, in bearing the yoke while you are young, God has time to train you to bear the yoke more effectively when you are old. Consider this, all of Jesus’ chosen Apostles were under the age of twenty, except for Peter. How do we know this? In Exodus 30:14-15, Jewish law
states that every male over the age of twenty is to pay a half-shekel as a temple tax. When the time came for this tax to be paid, only Jesus and Peter are recorded paying it. (Matthew 17:24-27) Therefore, all of the other Apostles had to have been younger. They were Campus
Ministry guys! Why did Jesus choose these men? Because they would have had more time to fulfill His great commission to evangelize all nations in one generation!

Finally, why now? Why not wait until you are older? Why not wait until you have settled down? Because older doesn’t always come. Tomorrow is not promised. As the expression goes, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why they call it the present.” One of the defining characteristics of God’s incredible Kingdom is that “young men [and women] will see visions.” (Acts 2:17) My prayer is that if you are a young man or woman reading this bulletin, you will not say that you are “too young” but that you will choose
to answer the calling of God, and become filled with a vision to do something great for Him in our generation!

To Him be all the glory!