I Am With Thee

I love the powerful messages of the first chapter of Jeremiah. In one of the most famous passages of the Old Testament, at least for Latter-day Saints, the Lord said to Jeremiah: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (v5). What was true for that prophet is surely true for each of us: the Lord knew us before we came to earth! The Lord called Jeremiah as a prophet before he was born, and He surely has a mission for us to accomplish if we will choose to follow Him. We may think that we are not capable like Jeremiah who said, “Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child” (v6). In our limitations we may feel like a child in our abilities to do the work the Lord has asked us to, but He says to us like He said to Jeremiah: “Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord” (v7-8). We need not fear the world because the Lord will be with us and deliver us from our difficulties. I love the blessing that the Lord gave Jeremiah that follows: “Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant” (v9-10). Jeremiah was given power to speak forth the words of the Lord and to do whatever was needed as a prophet in Israel. The Lord similarly gives to all those who make covenants with Him the Gift of the Holy Ghost to speak His words and to do whatever is needed to build up His kingdom and root out wickedness.

The Lord gave Jeremiah two images to learn from which I believe are also applicable to us in the last days. The prophet wrote, “Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it” (v11-12). The student manual gives this commentary: “An almond branch was evidently chosen because it is the first tree to bud in spring. As the almond tree hastens to come into blossom, so would the word of the Lord through Jeremiah hasten to fulfillment.” This verse reminds us that the Lord is also hastening His word and work in our day: “Behold, I will hasten my work in its time” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:73). Just as Jeremiah was prepared to help perform the Lord’s work among the wicked of Israel before they were scattered from Jerusalem, so too we must be prepared for the hastening of His work that the Lord is doing even now in gathering back again Israel. The second image was described in these words: “And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land” (v13-14). The Lord was warning Jeremiah and all of Israel of the impending destruction coming because of their wickedness—the pot was already boiling. This should remind us that the Lord’s judgments will come upon our societies as well if we continue to stray from His commandments: “The wrath of God shall be poured out upon the wicked without measure…. And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:9, 13). But we need not fear, for the Lord will strengthen His servants against the wickedness of the world. He gave these reassuring words to Jeremiah: “Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee” (v17-19). No matter what destruction may be coming upon the wicked or what persecution the world may bring against us, if we are true to the Lord, He will make us as a “defenced city” and “an iron pillar” to be strong in the face of opposition. The world will not prevail against us for the Lord will be with us and will fight for us just as He was for Jeremiah, for He promised again in our day: “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:6). Just as the Lord was with Jeremiah in those difficult days, so will He be with us as we seek to fulfill the mission He has for us.