Jeremiah's Choice.

20. Jeremiah's Choice.

"Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 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." - Jeremiah 1:4-5

God said that He knew Jeremiah while he was yet in his mother's womb, and that He had chosen him for service.  This is God's will for the prophet, Jeremiah, and it does reveal the will of God. It is true that God revealed His will for Jeremiah before he was ever born. It now becomes Jeremiah's choice whether he will yield to God's will or not (Read all of Psalms 139:1-24, especially noticing Psalms 139:13; Psalms 139:16 concerning God's omniscience about every individual before they are born).  Jeremiah, like many of us, tried to excuse himself from God's calling.  Notice in Jeremiah 1:6 :

"Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child."

If election to service were true, then Jeremiah would have automatically been jubilant and excited over hearing about God's will for him.  But such was not the case at first.  Many Christians, like Jeremiah, change their mind and go on to serve the Lord.  But we also find that many do not, which is sad and tragic!  As His children, God wants ALL of us to serve Him.  If election were true, over-riding the free will of man, then all Christians would automatically want to serve Christ and there would never be any need for chastening!