Touched by God

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. Jeremiah 1:9

That’s the verse that stands out to me. God touched his mouth. He didn’t have to do that, it wasn’t necessary, no more than the mud Jesus used in healing the blind man (John 9:6). It begs the question, why? I think God did exactly what was needed in accordance to Jeremiah’s faith. Maybe he knew that intimate gesture was what Jeremiah needed to overcome his insecurities. Maybe it was the red hot memory of that touch that sustained him through great opposition and persecution. I don’t know for sure. All I do know is that God drew close to Jeremiah, he was not a distant disembodied voice; he was personal and intimate, just what Jeremiah needed.

That’s the kind of invitation we have in the Gospel, if you are willing to receive it.